By Shadrack Nyakoe
Digitization of records is essential to the economy because it leads to increased efficiency, easier collaboration and enhanced accessibility of Government services.
The Principal Secretary of the State Department for Culture, Heritage, and the Arts, Ms. Umir Bashir said digitization, as an enabler, has contributed immensely to improvement in e-government services, e-commerce, entrepreneurship and digital skills.
Speaking during the Kenya Association of Records Managers & Archivists (KAMRA) Heads of Records Management Breakfast Meeting at a Nairobi hotel, Ms Bashir said digitization of government services plays a key role in the growth of the economy and improved living standards.
“Investment in digital superhighway and creative economy continues to enable the Government to achieve the objectives of Botom Up Transformation Agenda (BETA) through increased productivity and competitiveness,” she said.
On his part, the Kenya Association of Records Managers & Management Archivists (KARMA) Chairman Dr Cleophas Ambira said that modernized records management was an essential ingredient to economic development and job creation.
“Digitization of records increases efficiency, leads to cost reduction, allows greater flexibility and improves service delivery in both private and public sectors,” he said.
Ambira said that well managed records could be used to assess the impact of a numerous programs thus reducing redundancies, saving costs and sharing knowledge within and across organizations.
KARMA adheres to the best global practices for managing records which includes accurate documentation of core activities; managing and storage of records in a manner that facilitates timely and accurate retrieval as well as ensuring that records are stored in secure environments.