Records Manager (Corporate Archives)
Manages organisational records and archives — ensuring proper creation, classification, storage, retention and disposal of institutional documents. Combines archival science with information governance, digital records management and regulatory compliance. In Kenya, records managers serve government ministries, corporations, NGOs, universities and financial institutions that must maintain records for legal compliance, institutional memory and operational efficiency under the Kenya Information Act and sector-specific regulations.
- AI exposure
- 53 of 100, moderate exposure
- Hiring trend
- Stable
- Hiring rate
- 40%
The role
What the work is, what it pays, and what it costs you.
At a glance
- Remote friendly
- Yes
- Freelance potential
- Medium
- Time to senior
- 7 years
A day in the role
Reviews and updates the corporate records retention schedule — adjusting retention periods for new regulatory requirements. Audits the digital document management system — checking classification compliance and identifying misfiled records. Trains 20 staff members on the new email archiving policy. Authorises the secure destruction of expired financial records (7-year retention met). Consults with the IT department on implementing a new cloud-based EDMS. Responds to a legal discovery request for historical contract records.
What it pays
Kenyan market, per month- Entry
- KES 35,000-65,000
- Mid
- KES 75,000-150,000
- Senior
- KES 170,000-380,000
Exposure
How much of this a machine can already do, and how that was worked out.
Where this rating sits
1,516 rated careersRated above 73% of the 1,516 careers in the catalogue, which averages 43. Inside arts & humanities the mean is 50, across 84 careers.
Named task by task
Already automated
- AI-powered document classification and auto-tagging from content analysis
- Automated retention schedule enforcement with deletion alerts
- AI-assisted search and retrieval across large document repositories
- Automated compliance monitoring for records management policies
Still human
- Developing and implementing records management policies — defining what records to create, how to classify them, retention periods and disposal procedures
- Managing physical records — filing systems, archive storage, environmental controls (temperature, humidity, security), retrieval and access control
- Managing digital records — electronic document management systems (EDMS), email archiving, database records, cloud storage governance
- Ensuring regulatory compliance — maintaining records per Kenya Information Act, KRA requirements (7-year tax record retention), labour law (employee records), banking regulations (CBK record requirements)
- Conducting records audits — assessing organisational records management practices, identifying gaps and recommending improvements
- Managing records retention schedules — defining how long different record types must be kept, authorising disposal of expired records, documenting destruction
- Training staff on records management — proper filing, document classification, retention compliance and system use
- Managing institutional archives — preserving historical organisational records, documenting institutional memory, supporting research requests
Task counts
- Displacing
- AI automates document classification, retention enforcement and basic search — reducing manual records processing.
- Augmenting
- AI auto-tagging speeds up classification. Automated retention enforcement reduces compliance risk. AI search improves retrieval across large repositories. Automated compliance monitoring identifies policy violations.
- Creating
- AI-driven records management platforms create new roles for managers who can integrate AI classification with information governance and regulatory compliance.
Sources
Behind the rating- Kenya Information Act
- Kenya Data Protection Act (2019)
- KRA tax record requirements
- KNADS government records management
Getting in
The routes into the role and what each one asks for.
What to study
8 courses- Diploma in Church MusicKsh 54,000a year
- Bachelor of Biblical StudiesKsh 57,600a year
- Bachelor of Biblical TheologyKsh 57,600a year
- Bachelor in Interactive Media TechnologyKsh 79,000a year
- Diploma in Journalism and Media StudiesKsh 96,000a year
- Diploma in Information ManagementKsh 100,330a year
- Diploma in Records Management and Information TechnologyKsh 100,330a year
- Diploma in Library and Information StudiesKsh 107,000a year
How people get in
BA/BSc Information Science/Records Management + experience
4-6 yearsVery high cost
BA/BSc from KU, UoN, TUK or Moi in Information Science or Records Management — entry as records officer, progressing to records manager
BA + professional certification (ARMA, ICA)
5-7 yearsVery high cost
Any degree plus ARMA International or ICA certification in records management — for career changers or those without specific records management degrees
Who hires
- Government Ministries
- Banks and Financial Institutions
- Universities
- NGOs
- Corporations
Common misconceptions
Records management is just filing and storing documents
Professional records management involves information governance, regulatory compliance, digital systems management, retention scheduling, privacy protection and institutional memory preservation. A bank's records manager oversees millions of customer records subject to multiple regulatory requirements.
Digital systems make records managers obsolete
Digital systems create more records, not fewer — requiring professionals who can manage digital records, ensure compliance, govern cloud storage and maintain data integrity. The volume and complexity of digital records increases the need for records managers.
Records management is a low-skill administrative job
Records managers need knowledge of information science, regulatory frameworks, digital systems, data protection law and archival principles. Senior records managers oversee information governance for large organisations and earn KES 200,000-440,000+.
What happens next
How the role changes from here, and where it leads.
Growth outlook
- Net demand change
- +12%
- Over
- 2026-2028
- Drivers
- Kenya Data Protection Act (2019) compliance requirements,Digital transformation increasing records volume,Regulatory compliance demands (KRA, CBK, IRA),Cloud migration requiring records governance,Institutional memory preservation awareness
- Headwinds
- Organisations undervaluing records management,Budget constraints for systems,Paper-to-digital transition complexity,Staff compliance with filing policies
What to learn
- AI document classification and auto-tagging platforms
- Kenya Data Protection Act (2019) compliance
- Cloud-based EDMS platforms (SharePoint, Google Workspace)
- Digital preservation and long-term digital archives
- Information governance frameworks
Related careers
Kenyan market notes
Records management is an essential function in Kenyan organisations. Government: all ministries and departments have records management units — managing policy documents, correspondence, personnel files and historical records. The Kenya National Archives and Documentation Service (KNADS) oversees government records management. Corporations: banks (Equity, KCB, Cooperative Bank), insurance companies, telecom companies (Safaricom, Airtel) and manufacturers maintain extensive records for regulatory compliance, customer accounts and operations. Financial regulations: KRA requires 7-year retention of tax records, CBK requires banks to maintain transaction records for minimum periods, Insurance Regulatory Authority requires policy records. Universities: maintain student records, academic transcripts, research records and institutional archives. NGOs: maintain project records, donor reports, beneficiary data and compliance documentation. Key regulations: Kenya Information Act (governs information management in government), Kenya Data Protection Act (2019 — governs personal data in records), KRA tax record requirements, labour law (employee records), sector-specific regulations. Digital transformation: organisations are transitioning from paper to digital records — creating demand for records managers who understand EDMS platforms, digital preservation and cloud governance. Key challenges: many organisations undervalue records management (seen as administrative overhead), paper-to-digital transition complexity, staff compliance with filing policies, and budget constraints for records management systems. Salary: entry KES 35,000-65,000 (records officer), mid KES 80,000-170,000 (records manager), senior KES 200,000-440,000+ (head of records or information governance director).
Further reading
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