****Villy A. Magero is Principal Records Management Officer at Nairobi City County Assembly, Kenya and is a Member of Kenya Association of Records Managers (KARMA) ****

---

Legislative records, Hansards, Committee reports, bills, petitions, administrative records and minutes are more than paper work. They are the DNA of the democratic decision making. Without them the Nairobi City County Assembly cannot demonstrate accountability, preserve memory or enable residents to hold leaders accountable.

Across the world, parliaments and assemblies face the challenge of safeguarding these records amid technological change, resource limitations and political transitions. In Kenya the Nairobi City County Assembly provides a practical case study of both the promise and the challenge of legislative records preservation.

Why Legislative Records Matter

Accountability and Transparency Legislative records reveal who debated what, how votes were cast and how committees guided the assembly. For citizens, auditors, and courts, they are indispensable evidence. 1.

Legal and Administrative Proof Approvals, amendments and policy intentions are documented in official records. Without them, disputes over law and procedure become difficult to resolve. 1.

Institutional Memory Assemblies outlive individual members and clerks. Records transmit lessons across generations, allowing new officeholders to learn from past decisions. 1.

Historical and Civic Value Hansards and committee minutes are a historian’s goldmine, shedding light on social debates, urban and city growth and governance struggles. 1.

Improved Service Delivery When legislative records are properly managed, policymakers can revisit past debates, identify gaps and design better laws and services.

The Challenges to Preservation

Despite their importance, legislative records face multiple threats:

Weak systems and policies. On the onset of the Assemblies, priority was not given to formation of Records Management departments hence most operate without clear policies, file plans, retention schedules or custody rules and they also face neglect.

Limited staffing and expertise. Skilled archivists and records managers are scarce in many county assemblies.

Physical risks. Invasive protests, Fire, floods, pests, and mould still endanger paper files stored in substandard environments.

Digital fragility. Scanning without metadata and sometimes using personal mobile phones, using unstable file formats, or failing to back up digital files leads to silent loss. Absence of dedicated ERMS systems and having disjointed electronic systems inherited from the National Government.

Budgetary pressures. Records Management programs are placed under other departments like Human Resource department for example thus exposing them to competition for visible funding.

Devolution-related gaps. Counties inherited functions without adequate records transfer arrangements, leaving many archives in limbo. Assemblies merely started operations from scratch yet there are records from the defunct local authorities that should have been transferred to guide Honorable Members in decision making.

Case Study: Nairobi City County Assembly

What Works Well

The Nairobi City County Assembly has made notable strides in records access:

Hansards and reports online. Citizens can download Hansards, budgets, and committee reports directly from the assembly’s website. This is a vital foundation for transparency.

Policy development. The county’s records department has been spearheading a formal Records Management Policy, a sign of institutional awareness.

Oversight pressure. Office of the Auditor General through National Audit reviews have highlighted recordkeeping weaknesses, creating an opportunity for reform.

Where the Gaps Lie

Policy vs. practice. Drafting policies is only the first step. Without budgets, training, and systems, records risk continued mismanagement.

Audit weaknesses. Financial audits have shown gaps in evidence trails, particularly for procurement and expenditure, directly linking poor records to accountability failures.

Conclusion

Legislative records are not a luxury. They are the backbone of democratic governance, ensuring accountability, legal certainty, institutional memory and public trust. Nairobi City County Assembly has already taken important steps, from making Hansards available online to initiating steps towards development of a records management policy. The challenge now is to bridge the gap between policy and practice, invest in capacity and safeguard both paper and digital records for generations to come. By prioritizing preservation today, Nairobi and by extension other county assemblies will learn on how to secure not only their institutional history but also the trust and participation of the citizens they serve.