AN ASSESSMENT OF RECORDS RETENTION AND DISPOSAL PRACTICES IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICES: A CASE STUDY OF BAGAMOYO DISTRICT COUNCIL

This study assessed records retention and disposal practices in local government offices using Bagamoyo District Council as a case study. The study was guided by four specific objectives to examine the existing records retention practices, assess the procedures used in records disposal, identify the challenges affecting effective records retention and disposal, and suggest strategies for improving these practices’ descriptive research design with both qualitative and quantitative approaches was employed. Data were collected from 50 respondents through questionnaires, interviews, and observation. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and thematic. The findings revealed that although the council has records retention schedules and disposal procedures, their implementation is constrained by inadequate staff training, limited financial resources, insufficient storage facilities, weak monitoring mechanisms, and low awareness of records management policies. The study also found that some records are retained beyond their approved retention periods, leading to congestion in registry offices and reduced efficiency in records retrieval. The study concludes that effective records retention and disposal are essential for improving accountability, transparency, administrative efficiency, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements in local government offices. It recommends regular staff training, strengthening compliance with records management policies, improving storage infrastructure, increasing financial support, adopting electronic records management systems, and conducting regular monitoring and audits to enhance records retention and disposal practices.

Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Peer review

Not peer-reviewed

Licence

All rights reserved