ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND ADOPTION OF AI-DRIVEN ELECTRONIC RECORDS MANAGEMENT IN MURANG’A COUNTY GOVERNMENT, KENYA
Keywords:
Organizational support systems, artificial intelligence, electronic records management, technology adoption, county governmentAbstract
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping electronic records management (ERM) globally, yet adoption in Kenyan county governments remains limited, largely because of technological gaps and weak institutional readiness. Murang’a County Government, an early adopter of digitization, offers a critical case for examining the organizational conditions that influence AI-driven ERM. This study investigated the role of organizational support systems in facilitating such adoption, guided by the Technology-Organization-Environment framework. Employing a cross-sectional survey design, the study integrated quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study administered a structured questionnaire to 74 records management, ICT, and administrative officers as a census, achieving a 91.9% response rate, and conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 purposively selected informants. The organizational support systems subscale demonstrated strong reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.867). Quantitative analysis employed descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression, while qualitative data were thematically analyzed. Respondents rated organizational support positively (composite mean = 4.16, SD = 0.76), with strategic alignment and management commitment highest, and financial resource allocation lowest. Organizational support systems exhibited the strongest correlation with AI adoption among four institutional factors (r = .782, p < .001) and the largest standardized regression coefficient in the combined model (β = .368, p < .001). Qualitative findings reinforced these results, highlighting leadership commitment and innovation-oriented culture as enablers, while budgetary delays emerged as persistent constraints. The study concludes that organizational support is the most decisive determinant of AI-driven ERM adoption in Murang’a County Government. It recommends that county governments institutionalize leadership commitment through predictable budgetary allocations and formal change-management structures, rather than relying solely on managerial goodwill, to ensure sustainable and effective adoption of AI-driven electronic records management.
References
Al-Balushi, H., & Mkadmi, A. (2025). Digital records management in government institutions: A systematic review of challenges and prospects. Journal of Information Science, 51(2), 301–320. https://doi.org/10.1177/01655515231189423
Asante, E. B., & Frempong, G. (2023). Digital transformation and financial resource allocation in Ghanaian district assemblies: Determinants of technology adoption. African Journal of Public Administration, 11(2), 55–72.
Bauer, T., & Schmid, A. (2024). AI adoption in German federal ministries: Interoperability barriers and organizational enablers. Government Information Quarterly, 41(1), Article 101898. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2023.101898
Bryman, A. (2023). Social research methods (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Cooper, D. R., & Schindler, P. S. (2023). Business research methods (13th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.
Dwivedi, Y. K., Hughes, L., Ismagilova, E., Aarts, G., Coombs, C., Crick, T., Duan, Y., Dwivedi, R., Edwards, J., Eirug, A., Galanos, V., Ilavarasan, P. V., Janssen, M., Jones, P., Kar, A. K., Kizgin, H., Kronemann, B., Lal, B., Lucini, B., … Williams, M. D. (2021). Artificial intelligence (AI): Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. International Journal of Information Management, 57, Article 101994. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.08.002
Fountain, J. E. (2022). Technology, institutions, and bureaucratic choice in e-government: Sustainability of federal digital programs. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 32(4), 723–741. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/muab052
ICT Authority. (2022). Electronic records and data management standard. Government of Kenya.
Jaillant, L. (2025). Digital records governance in the AI era: Lessons from NARA’s electronic records mandate. Archivaria, 99, 45–72. https://doi.org/10.3138/archivaria.99.045
Kane, G. C., Phillips, A. N., Copulsky, J., & Andrus, G. (2022). The technology fallacy: How people are the real key to digital transformation. MIT Press.
Karfa Bizi, A., Adjei-Bamfo, P., & Ofori, D. (2025). Electronic records management adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic literature review. Records Management Journal, 35(1), 22–48. https://doi.org/10.1108/RMJ-03-2024-0009
Lomas, E. (2023). AI-driven appraisal at the National Archives of Australia: Accuracy, risk, and institutional readiness. Archives and Manuscripts, 51(3), 98–117. https://doi.org/10.1080/01576895.2023.2198765
Mnjama, N. (2023). Records management practices in East African public sector institutions: Systemic barriers and the organizational support deficit. ESARBICA Journal, 42, 55–78.
Modiba, M., Ngoepe, M., & Makhubela, S. (2023). Application of artificial intelligence in records management at the Gauteng Department of Education, South Africa. South African Journal of Information Management, 25(1), a1558. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajim.v25i1.1558
Momanyi, E. M., Ng’eno, E., & Kiplang'at, J. (2024). Enhancing information literacy skills of undergraduate medical students: a curriculum and policy analysis. KLISC Journal of Information Science & Knowledge Management.
Mutula, S. M., & Van Brakel, P. (2022). E-readiness of small to medium-sized enterprises in the ICT sector in Botswana and Zambia: Implications for e-records management. South African Journal of Libraries and Information Science, 88(2), 12–28. https://doi.org/10.7553/88-2-2265
Ngulube, P. (2022). Managing and preserving public records and archives: Organizational factors and leadership in African public institutions. ESARBICA Journal, 41, 1–22.
Njeru, L. M., Wambua, P. M., & Kimani, J. (2023). Factors influencing AI adoption in Kenyan county government management information systems. African Journal of Science, Technology, Innovation and Development, 15(4), 521–535. https://doi.org/10.1080/20421338.2023.2198431
Office of the Auditor General. (2024). Report of the Auditor General on county governments in the Mt. Kenya region for the financial year 2023/2024. Kenya National Audit Office.
Oliveira, T., Martins, R., Sarker, S., Thomas, M., & Popovic, A. (2022). Understanding SaaS adoption: The moderating impact of the director’s role in organizations. Information & Management, 56(2), 317–332. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2018.07.001
Otieno, B. A., & Mugo, S. W. (2023). Executive sponsorship and ICT project outcomes in Kenyan county governments: A mixed-methods study. Journal of the Kenya National Library Service, 11(1), 28–45.
Owandho, A., Ayodo, E. M. O., & Mildred, O. (2023). Records management practices and organizational performance in Kenyan devolved governments: A systematic review. Library Philosophy and Practice, 2023, Article 8132. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/8132
Pang, M. S., Lee, G., & DeLone, W. H. (2023). IT resources, organizational capabilities, and value creation in public sector organizations: A public-value management perspective. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 32(1), Article 101740. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsis.2023.101740
Robbins, S. P., & Coulter, M. (2021). Management (14th ed.). Pearson Education.
Rogers, E. M. (2023). Diffusion of innovations (6th ed.). Free Press.
Sun, J., & Bhatt, G. D. (2024). AI-driven records management readiness in Canadian provincial agencies: Infrastructure, culture, and regulatory alignment. Government Information Quarterly, 41(2), Article 101912. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2024.101912
Taurus, M. K., & Wamae, G. N. (2024). Digitization of public records in Kenyan county governments: Challenges and prospects. Journal of the Kenya National Library Service, 12(1), 34–52.
Tornatzky, L. G., & Fleischer, M. (1990). The processes of technological innovation. Lexington Books.
Wambua, P. M. (2025). ICT infrastructure deficits and service delivery delays in Murang’a County, Kenya: An empirical assessment. African Journal of Public Administration, 13(1), 88–104.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Virginia Waruguru Karuri, Paul Maku Gichohi, Catherine Mueni

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.