A REPORT ON INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENT AT KERICHO LAW COURTS.

THE INDUSTRIAL REPORT SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION SCIENCE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS IN LIBRARY AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

PERIOD: 12 weeks (3 months)

COURSE OF STUDY: LIBRARY SCIENCE

PRESENTED BY: SALOME NYAMWEYA ONCHOKE

REG. NO: DLS/02360/2018

DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this report on industrial attachment at the Judiciary Kericho High Courts as presented to Kenya Highlands University Department of library and information science as partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of library and information science is the outcome of my investigation and has not been presented to any other examination body, apart from references in this report.

NAME:

REG NO.:

SIGN: ………………………………………………………

DATE: ……………………………………………

INDUSTRIAL BASED SUPERVISOR DECLARATION

This attachment report has been submitted with my approval as The Judiciary Kericho High Court supervisor.

NAME: ……………………………………………………….

TITLE HELD: …………………………………………………………………..

SIGN: …………………………………….DATE……………………………..STAMP………………

……………………

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This attachment could not be a success without the guidance, cooperation, and support of many individuals who ensured that this was a reality. First, I wish to thank my family members especially my parents who have stood by my side and ensured I had all that was necessary for this attachment, financially and morally. Second, I extend my appreciation to my fellow course mates and especially those we were attached to the same institution for their invaluable support too.

I sincerely thank the Judiciary Kericho High Court for their unwavering support and for giving me a chance to be part of their family. Worth mentioning is the invaluable support and guidance.

I constantly got throughout my training. I express my deep gratitude to the human resource officer, Mr. Fred Gichora, and all the staff I interacted with within the archives. Thanks, so much the head of criminal registry, the civil registry in both high and lower courts for their unwavering support during my stay at the institute.

Finally, my gratitude goes to in charge of the station’s Information/Records and Archival management who was my supervisor, Mr. Fred Gichora for his guidance, remarks, and relevant suggestions throughout my training.

Above all, I thank the Lord God almighty for the divine protection, guidance, and the opportunity of a memorable and fruitful period at Judiciary Kericho High Court.

DEDICATION

This industrial attachment report is dedicated to my parents and friends as a result of the support they gave me during the training period.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

It is of essence that all students to be attached to an industrial exercise. The purpose of industrial attachment creates the need for any discerning student to create a clear picture of what has been done in the form of a report. This report is therefore to explain what I did and learned during my internship period with Judiciary Kericho High Court in the department of Records and Archival Management. The report is also a requirement for the partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award in the library and information science. This report gives all the activities I undertook at the station (Judiciary Kericho High Court), the experience I gained, the practical skills acquired, and the personal inputs to the organization. My report gives a brief introduction to the station and the work/duties of different departments in the station. The report also gives details of the duties/functions of my host department i.e. Information/Records and Archival department. The information am giving in this report reflects all the assignments handled, working environment, achievements I achieved according to my objectives set herein. This report shows the benefits, success, challenges encountered, and how I was able to overcome the challenges. It also shows my recommendations and the conclusion of my training. It is hoped that this report would serve as a stepping stone towards the improvement of the internship programmers and to serve as an upcoming archivist.

COVER PAGE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. i

DECLARATION……………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ii

INDUSTRIAL BASED SUPERVISOR DECLARATION………………………………………………………. iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………………………………………………………………… iv

DEDICATION…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. v

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……………………………………………………………………………………………….. vi

ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. ix

CHAPTER ONE……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. x

1.0 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………………………………. x

1.1: HISTORY OF THE ORGANISATION……………………………………………………………………… x

1.2: MAIN FUNCTIONS/CORE ACTIVITIES OF STATION……………………………………………… x

1.3. VISION, MISSION STATEMENT, AND CORE VALUES OF JUDICIARY……………….. x

1.4. ORGANISATION STRUCTURE OF STATION…………………………………………………………. xi

1.5. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE KEY DEPARTMENTS IN THE STATION xi

1.5.1. Information/Records and Archival Department…………………………………………………. xi

1.5.2. Accounts Department…………………………………………………………………………………….. xi

1.5.3 The Library Department………………………………………………………………………………… xii

1.5.4 Human Resource Department………………………………………………………………………….. xii

1.5.5 The Information Communication Technology (ICT) Department………………………….. xii

1.5.6. Supply Chain Department……………………………………………………………………………… xiii

CHAPTER TWO…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. xiv

2.0. INFORMATION/RECORDS AND ARCHIVAL DEPARTMENT……………………………….. xiv

2.1. KEY FUNCTIONS/ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT………………………………………… xiv

2.2. MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING………………………………………………………………. xiv

2.3. ASSIGNED ROUTINE DUTIES AT RECORDS AND ARCHIVES CENTER…………………. xv

CHAPTER THREE…………………………………………………………………………………………………………. xvi

3.0 EVALUATION OF THE ATTACHMENT REPORT PERIOD……………………………………. xvi

3.1 BENEFITS OF THE ATTACHMENT.………………………………………………………………….. xvi

3.1.1 ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE ATTACHMENT EXERCISE…………………………….. xvi

3.1.2 THEORETICAL ACHIEVEMENTS ACQUIRED………………………………………………… xvi

3.2 KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS/LEARNING EXPERIENCE ACQUIRED.…………………. xvii

3.3 DISCUSSION ON GAINED EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS.…………………………………….. xvii

3.4. CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED DURING THE TRAINING PERIOD……………………….. xvii

3.5. HOW I OVERCAME/SOLVED THE CHALLENGES………………………………………………. xviii

CHAPTER FOUR…………………………………………………………………………………………………………… xix

4.0. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS.………………………………………………………… xix

4.1. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………………………………………………… xix

4.2 RECOMMENDATIONS.……………………………………………………………………………………… xx

ABSTRACT

This report is about the attachment program and was organized by the library and information science department to enable students to put into practice the theoretical aspect learned in class in the hands-on working environment. The practical attachment was carried out at Kericho Law Court at archives and record center, to expose the students to the working environment and help link theory learned in class to practice. This is to build the student’s experience, morale, and professionalism. The report highlights major activities carried out during the attachment period which includes information acquisition, processing, storage, retrieval, and on the accomplishment of the mentioned activities, recommendations were suggested for improving the library services. The duration of the attachment was three months. There were various supervisors from the section in which I was attached. I was working hand in hand with these supervisors to make the supervision and the assignment of duties in those particular sections a success.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1: HISTORY OF THE ORGANISATION

The station is part of the judicial system in Kenya which interprets and applies the law in the country. The 2010 new constitution saw the establishment of Judiciary under Chapter 10. Article 160 of the constitution defines a system of courts as superior and subordinate courts. Superior courts include; Supreme Court as defined by article 163, the court of appeal as defined in article 164, and the high court as defined in article 165. Subordinate courts include; magistrate and Khadi’s courts as defined in article 169. These courts are distributed in the country to various regions and all counties apart from the Supreme Court. above.

It has; three superior courts, i.e. Employment and Labor Relations Court, Land and Environment Court, and High court; and subordinate courts, i.e. five Magistrate Courts and a Khadi’s Court.

Their operation is mainly in legal services as the custodians of justice. Over the subsequent years, the institution as a whole has grown tremendously through many transformations in ensuring justice is accessed

1.2: MAIN FUNCTIONS/CORE ACTIVITIES OF STATION.

The Institution operates under two areas of work derived from its mandate. They include:

Administrative
Legal

These two works towards a common goal and mandate of being committed to providing the best quality services to all their customers.

1.3. VISION, MISSION STATEMENT, AND CORE VALUES OF JUDICIARY

VISION STATEMENT.

The vision statement of the station is;

Serving the society with the people as the most valued target

MISSION STATEMENT.

Their assurance is to deliver justice fairly, impartially and expeditiously, promote equal access to justice, and advance local jurisprudence by upholding the rule of law in line with the Constitution.

CORE VALUES

Specifically, the Constitution mandates them;

a) To expeditiously administer justice to all irrespective of status
b) To administer justice without undue regard to procedural technicalities
c) To protect and promote the purpose and principles of the constitution in 2010, and
d) To promote alternative forms of dispute resolution, including reconciliation, mediation,

arbitration and traditional dispute resolution mechanism

1.4. ORGANISATION STRUCTURE OF STATION.

The station has a presiding Judge who is the C.E.O. of the station, then the Chief Magistrate heads the station and is the accounting officer of all administrative activities. Then there is a court administrator who is delegated with matters to deal with operations of archives and concerns from their clients.

1.5. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE KEY DEPARTMENTS IN THE STATION

The following are the departments at the station and their duties and responsibilities.

1.5.1. Information/Records and Archival Department

This department is headed by a Records and Archival Management Office (popularly referred to

as an Archivist in the station). It is mandated with:

Providing information and records management best practices;
Developing a records management strategy in the station;
Governing how information is created, stored, shared, tracked and protected;
Selection, accession, handling, managing, storage, preservation, restoration, retrieval and disposal of all public records and public archives under the Public Archives and Documentation Services Act and the Disposal of Records Act;

1.5.2. Accounts Department

This department is headed by an Accountant Officer and is mandated with:

a) Application of sound principles, systems, and techniques in accounting for finances, assets, revenue, expenditure, and costs in the station;
b) Accounting for special funds set up under various statutes;
c) Management of accounting information such as coordination;
d) Rationalization of estimates, annual appropriation fund accounts, cash flow control, cost analysis, and any other related functions.

1.5.3 The Library Department

The library is headed by a Librarian whose mandate includes;

a) Selecting, ordering/purchasing of books, periodicals, and journals;
b) Cataloging and classifying of books; and indexing, shelving and abstracting of both books and periodicals;
c) Procuring and ordering of other reading materials;
d) Provision of Library Information Technology Services i.e. electronic storage and retrieval

of information;

e) Ensuring that all materials in the library are in good and readable condition, including

binding.

f) Arranging for the repair of old books and ensuring the security of the same.

1.5.4 Human Resource Department

The Human Resource Management is headed by Human Resource Officer Assistant. It entails

organization and management of Human Resource services to ensure that staff are properly

facilitated to maintain high motivation for effective performance and productivity

at the station level.

1.5.5 The Information Communication Technology (ICT) Department

It is headed by an ICT officer whose roles are:

a) Maintaining ICT standards within the station;
b) Application of Information Communication Technology, systems analysis, and design;
c) Developing and implementing computerized information systems;
d) Carrying out research and development on ICT standards, guidelines, and approaches and

coordinating their consistent and efficient application in the Judiciary;

e) Providing advisory services on all matters related to ICT;
f) Training on the use of computers, relevant software packages and developing customized

applications;

g) Providing hardware maintenance support services; and
h) Liaising with hardware vendors for the administration of guarantees and warranties.

1.5.6. Supply Chain Department

It is headed by the Procurement Officer and is mandated with:

a) Inventory control;
b) Procurement, custody, physical distribution, utilization, verification, write off and

disposal of stores;

c) Custody of movable property
d) Prevention and detection of losses
e) Guarding against wastage and misuse of stores.

CHAPTER TWO

2.0. INFORMATION/RECORDS AND ARCHIVAL DEPARTMENT

2.1. KEY FUNCTIONS/ACTIVITIES OF THE DEPARTMENT.

The Information/Records and Archival Department was my host department during my training

at the station. From the station’s daily activities of dispensing justice, several records are generated each day. So, this department serves as the custodians and supervises the handling of the information material right from creation/ receipt to the time of disposal. As earlier highlighted, these are some of the functions of the department:

Providing information and records management best practices;
Developing a records management strategy in the station;
Governing how information is created, stored, shared, tracked and protected;
Selection, accession, handling, managing, storage, preservation, restoration, retrieval, and disposal of all public records and public archives under the Public Archives and Documentation Services Act and the Disposal of Records Act

2.2. MAIN OBJECTIVES OF THE TRAINING.

The main objectives for the attachment exercise were as follows;

To access the interests in the occupation am undertaking i.e. Records management.
To be acquainted with the expectations of working in a highly competitive environment.
To get an opportunity to apply the principles and techniques theoretically learned into real-life problem-solving situations.

To enable and strengthen linkages between Kenya Highlands University and various

organizations all over the country.

Enhance students’ awareness of public service obligations.
To make the transition from school to the world of work smoothly and to enhance students’

contacts for job placements.

To be equipped with practical skills that may not be appreciated, visualized, or even taught in

schools like communication skills, dress code, teamwork, time management skills, efficiency on task, and problem management.

2.3. ASSIGNED ROUTINE DUTIES AT RECORDS AND ARCHIVES CENTER.

The following were the duties I was assigned to at the archives and record center 1. Filling and retrieving of records.

Classification of records based on the cases.
Taking records and recording files that have been retrieved for use in archives.
Maintaining records to increase their lifespan.
Sorting of records based on the folders they are.
Typing and updating the judiciary system
Data entry 8. Appraisal of records

CHAPTER THREE

3.0 EVALUATION OF THE ATTACHMENT REPORT PERIOD

3.1 BENEFITS OF THE ATTACHMENT.

In respect to my objectives during the attachment training, the whole process has been a success and all my objectives were achieved well.

I learned a lot of things that added to my experience in the records management field. Apart from my practical skills acquired in my career, I also was able to acquire new theoretical skills in my field of study which is of high importance to my knowledge and understanding of information management.

3.1.1 ACHIEVEMENTS DURING THE ATTACHMENT EXERCISE.

From my assigned duties and responsibilities, I was able to achieve the following benefits.

▪ Learned how to register a case in the register depending on its case number

▪ How to open a file for the cases brought to court and give them the case number and register it in the courts’ system

▪ How to appraise files in the record center to identify those with enduring value and those to be disposed of.

▪ How to retrieve files in the archives using the Judiciary system

▪ How to file records in the archives and folders giving them a specific quotation for easy

Accessibility.

▪ Procedure for the disposal of the records which are not of any importance in the records center

▪ How to update the system by putting the information on the files which are of no more important and those which are important for easy access.

▪ How to carry out maintenance of the records by filling the files in archives with hardcovers to increase their lifespan.

3.1.2 THEORETICAL ACHIEVEMENTS ACQUIRED.

Apart from gaining experience practically, I gained some experience from theory work. The following were learned;

▪ Importance of classification of the records in both archives and record center

▪ Procedures for disposal of records in the records center

▪ Reasons and procedures to follow when carrying out maintenance of records

▪ Filling procedures

▪ Communication skills

▪ Procedures for disposing of a file in the archives

▪ Role of Information communication technology in archives and record center.

▪ The evaluation processes.

3.2 KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS/LEARNING EXPERIENCE ACQUIRED.

My training exercise has aided me in analyzing my options and my situation. During the attachment I gained skills in 3 different axes, Professionally, I had the opportunity to put into practice what I have been learning in class, good management, self-motivation, and time management skills.

Socially, I have gained a greater level of confidence through my interactions with different classes of people and top officials. I have gained good interpersonal and communication skills. Personally, my knowledge about records management was expanded as I went through the public records disposal act in detail. I have learned and acquired teamwork, efficiency on task, and problem management skills.

3.3 DISCUSSION ON GAINED EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS.

One of the most important and obvious goals of an attachment exercise is the acquisition of actual real-world experience. Attachment allows learning first-hand experience that can’t be taught in class and helps us get a practical translation of the theory taught. My training experience has aided me in analyzing my options and my situation. The training has individual benefits of liaising with the university to the various organizations. Hence brightening the employment chances of the students in the universities.

Through this attachment, I have gained a good interpersonal skill through my interactions with my supervisor and the rest of the staff. This has helped me interact with different people irrespective of their position.

3.4. CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED DURING THE TRAINING PERIOD.

My training experience has been quite good, however, I faced some challenges that are worth mentioning. Some of the challenges faced include:

Limited time period-the time for searching for a place to be attached was very limited as

there were delays in getting our attachment requirements from the university. This led to much spending while seeking a place to be attached which was in a hurry as there was not much time.

Also, during the training, there is neither provision to pay interns nor any drafted allowances, packages allowed to lease expenses during the training period and thus catering for the daily expenses becomes a burden as financing may not be adequate.

3.5. HOW I OVERCAME/SOLVED THE CHALLENGES

Though the challenges faced me, they gave me experience and taught me more. I acquired skills in improving my confidence in solving problems and gain the confidence to

interact with different categories of people. The following are some ways I used in solving the challenges I faced.

▪ I was able to cope with the limited period I had and work tirelessly to see success in the training, I adopted time management skills which enabled me to catch up with the lost time.

▪ Being proactive-there being no much work, I engaged myself in other productive projects and activities relating to my career which enabled me to gain much experience and streamline my career

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

4.1. CONCLUSION.

The supervised industrial attachment of the university allows students to apply and put what has been learned in class into practice. This exposes them to work methods not taught in the class. It also provides an opportunity for the students to assess their interests in their career been undertaken and also acquaint them with expectations of working in a highly competitive environment. The training strengthens the linkages between the university and other institutions all over the country. In review, the training has been a success and I was able to gain practical skills, work in a fantastic environment, and make connections with different types of people. This attachment has made me gain much practical knowledge and experience in my field of study (library science) as well as enriching me with the interaction with the world of records The training has instilled me some integrity like being punctual, being submissive to and taking views of supervisors, communication skills and efficient in the task and problem management. As a result, my objectives were met and well achieved. Not only did I gain practical skills but also acquired management, self-motivation, and good interpersonal skills.

This training program should, therefore, be maintained for students to learn more practically as this has been an excellent and rewarding experience and I hope other interns achieved as much as I did. I was able to grow my interest in my career and make a good transition from what I have been learning from school to the outside world of work.

4.2 RECOMMENDATIONS.

The attachment is very beneficial to students as it assists them to blend academic work with that of the industry therefore much emphasis and importance should be given to attachment exercises by the students. Since the experience for the 12 weeks was enormous, the following should be put in place to better future benefits of students and the institution at large.

▪ The institution should allow enough time to the students for their preparation and search of their attachment and their requirements as provided by the institution as early as possible.

▪ The institution should liaise with the students’ financing institution (HELB) and look forward to pushing for grants to support their students on attachment.

▪ The students should be facilitated for doing their industrial attachment as it can be seen how good and the importance it is as the students lack enough funds to facilitate their upkeep during the training period.

REFERENCE.

Kericho Law Court archives and record center
Kericho Law Court archivist Fred Gichora
Kenya Highlands University Industrial Attachment Logbook.