Assessment of records disaster preparedness at Kasese District local government central registry
Abstract
Administrative records disaster preparedness is very important in influencing administrative
activities of KLG as any other organization. The organization has over the years created and
managed administrative records which have contributed so much towards the enhancement of
different service delivery to the public. The study sought to assess the disaster preparedness
of records at the KLG. Kasese Local government as any other organization is likely to be
faced with challenges such as natural disasters to records, loss of fills all of which cause
delayed service delivery because of delayed decision making and subsequent decline in
efficiency and productivity. The objectives of the study were to find out the status of disaster
preparedness of records generated, assess the current storage systems, to find out the
challenges encountered during the storage of records and to come up possible solutions to the
challenges encountered during the disaster preparedness of records at KLG. The study sought
to improve the disaster preparedness of records at the Kasese Local Government. The study
used interviews and observations methods. The study involved a purposive sampling
technique and the sample size was made of 40 respondents. The main conclusion of the study
clearly demonstrated that KLG had some gaps to fill when it came to the disaster
preparedness of records. Storage equipment were available but they were few as compared to
the ever growing number of records created by the various department and projects, the
findings also revealed that KLG records department faced some challenges such as, no clear
records management policy. This was because records storage functions were not clearly
catered for in the policy, dust, rusting of metallic shelves and fasteners and limited staffing of
the records department all of which hampered the effective and efficient service delivery in
the records department. The main recommendation of the study was that the KLG records
department should regularly clean the records storage areas, recruit professional records
workers, regularly skill their records staff and to expand the storage facilities and equipment.