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The equipment is listed in Appendix 1. In this regard, Mr Leisinger recommended that: ‘More sophisticated equipment such as machine laminators and leafcasting equipment which are quite costly may be added after the centre has operated successfully for a year or so. It is suggested that before any of the above equipment or supplies are purchased that the specific recommendations of a consultant in this area be obtained.’ 6 The Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service did not observe or comply with any of the above very good recommendations. Very soon, in 1978, we acquired an expensive laminator from Yugoslavia at a cost of US$13,500 long before the conservation workshop was operational! For technical reasons, the equipment could not be installed until 1982, and was therefore not operational for a very long period. Surprisingly, the equipment had been flown to Nairobi from Yugoslavia soon after its purchase. What a waste of money! This attracted a very damaging audit query by the Controller and Auditor- General. As indicated above, Mr Leisinger had recommended that before any of the expensive technical equipment or supplies were purchased, specific recommendations of a consultant in conservation needed to be obtained. Kenya failed to do so but with very serious consequences. By the time the costly laminator was purchased, machine lamination processes which use very high temperatures were no longer recommended. Very high temperature can damage documents. As a result, this very expensive equipment was never fully utilised, and arrangements were later made to dispose of it. This is just one example of inappropriate equipment and supplies which were purchased without proper technical advice, and which in effect became a waste. Two expensive wire stitching machines which were bought are other examples of inappropriate equipment which could not be fully utilised. What a big price to pay for being big headed! It should have been possible to get the required guidance virtually free of charge through correspondence from conservation experts within the framework of the International Council on Archives. The Turning Point Towards the end of 1970s, the Government was very concerned that, in spite of major increases in financial, personnel and other resources, the archives service was not experiencing corresponding improvement. The Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service was increasingly getting involved in a number of non-archival programmes and activities which included collection of oral traditions and oral history, as well as sites and monuments. The core archival programmes were, as a result, starved of resources. In this regard, Mr Ian Maclean was to observe that 6 Ibid. CASE STUDIES 13: MUSEMBI 4
‘On arrival, the consultant was frankly astonished at the number and range of objectives and programmes postulated by the Chief Archivist for the Kenya National Archives....’ 7 This must have contributed heavily to the general decline of efficiency in the Department. And just around this time, a very damaging report on financial mismanagement in the Department was made by the Controller and Auditor-General. As a result, the services of the Chief Archivist and the Acting Deputy Chief Archivist were terminated in 1980 and 1981 respectively. A very young but experienced archivist was appointed to perform the duties of Chief Archivist on an acting capacity in May 1981. In 1981, the Government decided to have a thorough evaluation of the services provided by the Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service. Two consultants, Mr Xavier de Boisrouvray from France and Mr John Walford from the United Kingdom were brought in to carry out the evaluation. The first to arrive in Nairobi, Kenya was Mr Boisrouvray. He made wide-ranging observations on the state of services provided by the Department. And with regard to the subject at hand, the conservation workshop, his report observed that the ‘consultant regrets to state that this laboratory is not very busy, despite all the money spent’ to buy the expensive conservation equipment. 8 The other consultant, Mr John Walford submitted his report on a one-week UNESCO funded mission in Kenya in 1982. His report was more comprehensive in its observations and recommendations. With regard to conservation facilities, his suggestions were quite similar to those of Mr Boisrouvray. He stated that: ‘There is a conservation section but even the most simple procedures to protect damaged records are not being employed, while the expensive equipment the KNA already has is lying idle, partly because some of it is not appropriate, partly because of difficulties with the supply of materials and partly because induction and servicing arrangements are unavailable.’ 9 Mr Walford made a specific recommendation on how the above unsatisfactory situation could be improved. In his view, ‘..... a practicing expert with the ability and confidence to adopt techniques in the light of local requirements and resources, in particular the vagaries of suppliers of suitable conservation materials is required. Obtaining the sorts of materials advocated in text books is a problem everywhere, and an experienced conservator would find and 7 Ian Maclean. Kenya Development of Information Infrastructure, Records Management. UNESCO, RP/1977-78/5.1.3,’ p.4. 8 Xavier de Boisrouvray. Development of the Kenya National Archives. 15th November, 1981, p.2. 9 John Walford. ‘Review of the Kenya National Archives’. UNESCO Technical Report. pp/1981- 1983/5/10.1/05, p.10. CASE STUDIES 13: MUSEMBI 5
Page 1 and 2: MANAGING PUBLIC SECTOR RECORDS Mana
Page 3 and 4: MANAGING PUBLIC SECTOR RECORDS A ST
Page 5 and 6: MPSR Project Personnel Project Dire
Page 7 and 8: Donors The International Records Ma
Page 9 and 10: CONTENTS Introduction 1 Case Studie
Page 11 and 12: MPSR CASE STUDIES AND LINKS TO THE
Page 13 and 14: 19 Henry Kemoni Kenya Managing Medi
Page 15 and 16: Development of Conservation Facilit
Page 17: The first Government Archivist had
Page 21 and 22: work produced was rather rudimentar
Page 23 and 24: The dust problem did not escape Mr
Page 25 and 26: Kenya National Archives and Documen
Page 27 and 28: themselves is equally tedious, time
Page 29 and 30: Documentation Service to acquire ex
Page 31 and 32: (b) If you (the student) were the o
Page 33 and 34: Appendix 1 LIST OF CONSERVATION EQU
Page 35 and 36: Case Study: Development and Impleme
Page 37 and 38: Record keeping system: information
Page 39 and 40: Case Study: A New International Tra
Page 41 and 42: suggestion by the Shadow Minister t
Page 43 and 44: Instructor’s Notes Analysis of ca
Page 45 and 46: microfilm and fiche by clerical sta
Page 47 and 48: • 25% a list of contextual factor
Page 49 and 50: Organisational structure The Depart
Page 51 and 52: allows for the admission of electro
Page 53 and 54: The use of tactics should also be g
Page 55 and 56: • establish an ongoing regime of
Page 57 and 58: Appendix A: Excerpts from Authority
Page 59 and 60: ***********************************
Page 61 and 62: Appendix B: Visualising Systems: Ge
Page 63 and 64: Appendix C: Describing Processes: F
Page 65 and 66: 13 USE OF ON-PAGE CONNECTORS: Use O
Page 67 and 68: CHECKS CORRESPONDENCE A Appendix D:
Page 69 and 70:
Archivist in Charge- Reference 6. A
Page 71 and 72:
Abstract Management of Financial Re
Page 73 and 74:
This study represents the accountab
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Debt Management • project debt se
Page 77 and 78:
• receiving and ordering the disb
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The Legal and Regulatory Framework
Page 81 and 82:
• MONITORING PROGRAMME AND PROJEC
Page 83 and 84:
Major Types of Financial Records an
Page 85 and 86:
Business Process Information Area R
Page 87 and 88:
• bill books. Financial and accou
Page 89 and 90:
PROCESS TWO: In the second stage, e
Page 91 and 92:
The Financial Record Keeping Situat
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cumbersome manual processes and all
Page 95 and 96:
could not validate the foreign inde
Page 97 and 98:
Problem One Case Problems Financial
Page 99:
Bibliography Barata Kimberly, Cain
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