PHD-Department of Library & Information Science

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Browsing PHD-Department of Library & Information Science by Author "Kamau, Harriet W. G."

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    An assessment of the performance of public record centres in facilitating proper records management practices in public offices in Kenya
    (2017-09) Kamau, Harriet W. G.
    Public record centres in Kenya are charged with ensuring proper record management practices by advising public offices on records creation, maintenance, use, appraisal and disposal, in order to achieve efficient, transparent and accountable governance in the public sector. The study was motivated by public outcry in the mass media about delays in information provision and ‗loss‘ of records in some public offices in Kenya, A delay in record retrieval can negatively impact on decision making on the part of the organization, frustrations on the part of clients and violation of the provisions of the ―Right to Information Act‖ in the Bill of Rights, Chapter Four of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, which includes the right of access to information. The study objectives were to: find out the extent to which the policies and procedures in public record centres help in the achievement of public record centres‘ goals; assess the effectiveness of the Public Archives(Amendment) Act,(1990) on the mandate of the public record centres, examine the levels of facilitations in relation to equipment, funds and personnel and their effect on service delivery, find out how far awareness creation with their clients could be a factor in the achievement of public record centre goals and, finally determine the constraints that could be hindering public record centres from fulfilling their mandate and suggest solutions. The Theory of Constraints by Eliyahu (1984) and Information Society Theory were used in the study. The research design was descriptive survey design, found suitable for the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data as was on the ground. The target population of the study was the staff and management of the public record centres in Kenya and the Director, Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service (KNA&DS).The study used the whole targeted population because it was small and therefore manageable. The tools of research were questionnaires for the record centre staff, interviews for the record Centre management staff and the KNA&DS Director and an observation schedule. The tools were piloted at Nairobi record centre, selected through simple random sampling using raffle papers. The data collected was analyzed using Microsoft Excel (2013) and Google Drive Spreadsheet software. Quantitative data were interpreted, discussed and presented using tables, graphs and percentages while qualitative data was presented using textual narratives and voices. The key findings were that, public record centres did not have an official National Records management policy, operated under an outdated and incomprehensive legislation and was poorly facilitated in respect to staff, funds, equipment and other facilities. Awareness creation was, also, inadequate due to low levels of funding and staff. The main conclusion was that none of the public centres could adequately perform well enough to fulfill their mandate due to poor facilitation especially in staffing. Main recommendations were that the draft records management policy be officially ratified for proper implementation, the amended Archives legislation Act (1990)be updated to incorporate omissions and emerging issues and also, funding be improved in order to adequately meet the requirements for the expected performance of the public record centres. Included also, is a ‗Performance Improvement Model for Public Record Centres‘ and recommendations for further research
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    Constraints experienced in public record centres in the facilitation of proper records management practices in public offices in Kenya
    (2013-05) Kamau, Harriet W. G.
    Public record centres (PRCs are charged with ensuring that there are proper record management practices in public offices in Kenya. Failure by public record centres to facilitate proper record management practices in public offices can negatively impact on the latter‘s delivery of services. This study will investigate PRCs in Kenya in order to find out the constraints they might be facing in carrying out their mandate of helping public office registries practice proper records management as expected. This study has been motivated by the many complaints about delays in records retrieval raised by clients looking for services in a number of public offices in Kenya. The study will be guided by various objectives as namely; establish whether the procedures and policies guiding the public record centre have an impact on the attainment of their goals; determine whether the facilities available affect their service delivery to the public offices in Kenya; whether the available staff is adequate in terms of numbers and qualifications; whether awareness creation with their clients is a necessary component in the attainment of their goals and finally find out what other challenges the public record centre could be facing that are relevant to the study. The target population of the study will be fifty one, comprising the management and staff of five public record centres; Nakuru, Mombasa, Kakamega, Kisumu and Nairobi and the Director of Kenya National Archives and documentation service (KNA&DS). One of the five county record centres will be used for piloting the data collecting tools. The sample size will be twenty nine comprising twenty four staff members selected through simple random sampling (six from each of the remaining four record centres), and the Director, KNA&DS selected through purposive sampling to provide data on administrative matters. Nairobi public record centre, selected through simple random sampling using raffle papers, will be used for piloting the data collecting instruments for their validity and reliability. The tools of research will be questionnaires for the record centre staff, interviews for the record centre management staff and the KNA&DS Director and observation schedules for assessing appropriateness of the location of the record centre, accommodation for both personnel and records, as well as accessibility to the record centre. The research design will be descriptive qualitative survey because the researcher will collect data as is on the ground. The data collected will be analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and descriptive statistics based on the themes contained in the objectives of this study. The results of the analyses will be presented by use of various graphs, tables, percentages and descriptions. Conclusions and recommendations will then be made based on the findings.