A framework for management of electronic records in support of e-government in Kenya

Abstract

Effective management of electronic records (MER) facilitates implementation of e- government. While studies have been carried out on management of records in Kenya, none of these studies has focused on MER in support of e-government implementation in Kenya. To address the knowledge gap, the current study sought to establish the current state regarding MER in support of e-government in Kenya.

The study investigated how MER supported e-government in Kenya with a view to develop a best-practice framework for MER in support of e-government. The specific objectives of the study were to: ascertain current status of MER in government ministries in Kenya; determine the current level of e-government utilization; establish the effectiveness of existing practices for MER in supporting e-government; identify challenges faced by ministries in MER that could impact on implementation of e- government; propose recommendations that could improve MER in ministries to support e-government effectiveness and develop a framework for MER in support of e-government.

The theoretical framework was the European Commission’s (2001) Model Requirements for Electronic Records Management (MoReq) and the United Nation’s (2001) five-stage e-government maturity model.

The study was anchored on the interpretive research paradigm and adopted qualitative research methodology using phenomenological design. The study sample consisted of 52 respondents drawn from eighteen government ministries, the Kenya ICT Authority

(ICTA), the Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service (KNADS) and five e-

government service areas. Maximum variation sampling technique was used. Data was collected through face-face interviews and analysed using thematic analysis.

The findings established that: the general status of MER in government ministries is inadequately positioned to support e-government; utilization of e-government in Kenya had grown significantly and more ministries were adopting e-government services; although some initiatives have been undertaken to enhance MER, the existing practices for MER require improvement to ensure they adequately support e-government; there exists several challenges in the MER that impact on implementation of e-government. The study concluded that the current practices for managing electronic records in support of e-government implementation were not adequate.

Recommendations and a best-practise framework for managing electronic records in support of e-government have been provided. Suggestions for further research are provided.