Records management practice in support of governance in the county governments of Kenya, a case of Nyamira County
| Published date | 19 November 2018 |
| Date | 19 November 2018 |
| Pages | 293-304 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-06-2018-0017 |
| Author | Rodger Osebe,Jane Maina,Kibiwott Kurgat |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Information management & governance |
Records management practice in
support of governance in the
county governments of Kenya,
a case of Nyamira County
Rodger Osebe,Jane Maina and Kibiwott Kurgat
Kisii University, Kisii, Kenya
Abstract
Purpose –The study aims to establish the records management practice, in support of governance in
Nyamira County. The objectives were to determine the types of records managed in Nyamira County, to
establish the contribution of records management in the running of Nyamira County, to determine the
adoption of records managementpolicies in Nyamira County and to assess strategies that will lead to sound
recordsmanagement in Nyamira County.
Design/methodology/approach –The sample population comprised27 respondents who were drawn
from different categories of staffthrough census sampling as follows: 4 records officers, 3 record clerks, 10
chief officers and 10 secretaries.The study used a qualitative research approach where interview schedules
and observationwere used for data collection.
Findings –It was established that Nyamira County generated various types of records including policy
related records,financial records and auditing records. It was submittedthat records management is essential
in support of governance as it forms a basis for equity in resource distribution, hence fostering confidence
among the public,which results in good will from the people on County government projects.The study noted
various challengesincluding inadequately trained staff on records management,lack of records disposal and
retentionschedules, inadequate equipment and space and inadequatepolicies and standards.
Originality/value –The study concluded that poor records management practiced in Nyamira County
was a great hindranceto good governance and recommended thatcounty governments should formulate and
implement records management policies, standards and guidelines and provide adequate budgetary
allocationsto ensure that the records managementpractice that is in place supports governance.
Keywords Governance, Records management, Records practice
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
ISO (15489:2015) emphasizes the importance of records management to governance,
although records managementpractice has not received proper support in many developing
countries (World Bank, 2010). County governments generate records in the process of
conducting business, and for these records to support county government functions, they
should be systematically maintained and repositioned. Proper records management
therefore underscores thevery essence of governance, whereas poor records management is
a hindrance to governance. Records management practice is a key support for efficient and
effective organizational operations (World Bank, 2010). In whichever endeavor, planning
and strategizing are first put down on record before the actual implementation takes place.
To ensure regional balancing in the distribution of county resources, records must be
consulted to provide information on population distribution, poverty indexes and social
economic practicesamong others.
Records
management
practice
293
Received18 June 2018
Revised10 August 2018
14September 2018
Accepted16 September 2018
RecordsManagement Journal
Vol.28 No. 3, 2018
pp. 293-304
© Emerald Publishing Limited
0956-5698
DOI 10.1108/RMJ-06-2018-0017
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