Records management programme towards good governance and service delivery in Singida Local Authorities, Tanzania

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the state of records management programmes in a bid to promote good governance and service delivery in Singida Local Authorities, Tanzania. The study used a case study design, which is qualitative in nature. Fifty employees of the SLAs constituted the target population of the study. The researcher collected data from 41 respondents selected by using census approach. Data were collected using face-to-face interviews, group discussions and observations. The study found that poor records management practices are attributable to lack of electronic records management (ERM) strategies such as security measures and professional staff, and poor control of record files, which affected good governance and service delivery. The study established that some offices visited had no keyword file classification system installed. However, there were no institutional and national legal frameworks for the SLAs to apply in managing their records, which resulted in poor records management. Consequently, the SLAs risked breaching confidentiality rules due to lack of security measures to guard against disaster and unauthorised access to records as indicators of poor governance. Further, there was no records appraisal and disposition conducted due to lack of specific records retention and disposal schedules in the SLAs under review. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the SLAs install a keyword file classification system which allows adopting electronic office system as recommended by legislation, formulate and implement records management legal frameworks.