dc.description.abstract |
Rural Electrification Authority (REA) is one of the public organizations in Kenya that
creates a lot of records in its operations. However, the measures that the Authority has
implemented to manage these records have not fully resulted in effective records
management. Thus, the aim of the study was to assess the current status of records
management at REA with a view to proposing strategies to enhance records management
in the Authority. Objectives that guided this study were to: examine records management
procedures currently in place at REA; investigate the non-technical records management
infrastructure at REA and how it supports the records management function; determine
the level of computerization of records at REA and how this has impacted the Authority’s
effectiveness in service delivery; and propose strategies to enhance records management
within REA. The study was guided by integrated records management theory. The
research adopted the convergent parallel mixed-methods research approach and a
descriptive case survey targeting 139 staff at REA. Yamane’s sample size formular was
adopted, and using proportionate stratified and simple random sampling techniques, 106
staff members comprising five (5) and thirteen (13) top and middle level management
respectively, and eighty-eight (88) staff at the operational level were selected.
Questionnaires and interviews were used to collect data from the participants. Data from
the questionnaires was analysed in SPSS for Windows Version 21.0 using descriptive
statistics and presented in tables. Interview data was thematically analysed and presented
in narrative descriptions and verbatim quotes. It was established by slightly over half of
operational staff that REA did not have a documented records management procedures
manual, and others said they were not aware of it. This was supported by the middle and
top level management, who noted that REA did not have such a manual. Slightly over
half of these staff indicated that they had skills in records storage, with a few being
skilled in records’ retrieval, filing, and classification. These staff considered the
Authority’s support for records management personnel in REA not to be sufficient due to
the inadequacy of financial resources, equipment, capacity building support for the staff,
the implementation of a scheme of service for records management personnel, and a poor
work environment. The majority of these respondents noted that the Authority did not
have a records management policy. These findings were corroborated by the middle and
top level management, who noted that this had a negative impact on records management
at REA. From the middle and top level managers, it was found that although the
Authority had partially incorporated computerization or ICTs into its business processes,
records management function had not been computerized. Despite this, the operational
level staff identified the positive impact that such computerization had on service
delivery and effectiveness at REA. Overall, the operational level staff identified the
challenges facing records management at REAas high staff turnover, inadequate funding,
cooperation and human capital, the absence of supportive policies and procedures. These
staff recommended the following strategies to enhance sound records management at
REA: adequate funding of records management activities, employment of adequate and
competent records management staff, awareness and sensitization programs for records
management, application of ICTs, the development and implementatio of supportive
policies and procedures in records management. The study concluded that the state of
records management in the Authority at the time of the study was not at its optimal level.
Consequently, the study proffered recommendations that it is hoped would improve
records management as follows: ensure adequate funding of the records management
activities; employ enough and competent records management staff; incorporate ICTs in
records management processes; develop and implement supportive policies and practices
in records management |
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