EFFECT OF RECORDS MANAGEMENT IN SERVICE DELIVERY IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR IN KENYA (A CASE STUDY OF MINISTRY OF LANDS, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT)

Abstract

This study sought to establish the effect of records management on service delivery in the public sector in Kenya, specifically in the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in the department of lands (headquarters). The specific objectives of the study were to; establish the effect of record management processes on service delivery in the public sector in Kenya; examine the extent to which records control affect service delivery in the public sector in Kenya. The study was guided by Records Life Cycle Model, Systems Theory, Human Capacity Theory and Governance Theory. The study targeted 200 personnel who are deployed at the department of lands and 300 customers who were served. Stratified random sampling design was used in the study. The target population was stratified into eight homogenous sub-groups; Administration officers, Registration officers, Valuation officers, Record managers, Cartographers, Clerical staff, administration/valuation/registration assistants and customers. A proportionate stratified method was used to get the sample size. A sample size of 147 respondents represented the target population. Data was collected by use of questionnaires, an observation schedule and an interview guide. The findings showed that most of the respondents had worked in the department for some good years enough to provide ample information on the research topic. The study recommends for an electronic system switch from manual systems, since manual systems have become unsustainable for expeditious land transactions. These, together with the bureaucratic and long processes, procedures and practices have impacted negatively on service delivery. Additionally, the study recommends that land records management processes should be audited for compliance to standard procedures: updating, regulating access, and repairing torn land records. The government should address challenges of record management in the department of Lands in Kenya which include: inadequate storage space for the records, poor communication with service users, missing files, unmaintained records, tattered records, inadequate and untrained staff. The government should also allocate a specific budget for records management in the department of Lands which will be used to address the needs of good records management.