Charles Njonjo served the Kenyan people as attorney general from 1963 to 1980 and was a trusted political adviser to President Moi in the 1980s.  Today, he reaches the milestone age of 100 years old. To mark this landmark achievement, we are going to honour the ‘Duke of Kabeteshire’ with an article about his life.  He is known as the ‘Duke of Kabeteshire’ because of his English mannerisms.  Those of you who have watched Njonjo’s recent message to the Kenyan people will have instantly noticed the immaculate three-piece, pin-striped suit with the thick tie and rose pin. An iconic look from an iconic man. If you haven’t seen it, follow this link.  Njonjo studied at Gray’s Inn in London after he completed his education in Kenya and South Africa. He adopted the British way of life whilst studying at the prestigious society of barristers. In an interview with Jeff Koinange

Many of you who follow our posts regularly will know about The Filing Room’s commitment to a greener future. In our New Year’s Day article (which you can access here) we discussed one of our initiatives to offset the company’s carbon footprint. Over the last two years, The Filing Room has been planting eucalyptus and grevillea trees in Western Kenya. Reforestation is, as we all know, the best method currently available for sucking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. Our reforestation drive is a big part of our commitment to a more sustainable future. We are not alone in thinking for our future. Many Africans appreciate the natural world as we do. This article seeks to pay respect to the people of Africa, its governments and influential thinkers, who are striving to reduce humanity’s impact on our beautiful earth. East Africa’s ban on plastic bags Kenya’s high-profile plastic bag ban

The Kenya Association of Records Managers and Archivists (KARMA) is the premier records management organisation operating within Kenya. The organisation is a professional body and community for all those who work, and are interested in, records and archives management.  By working with archiving and records management specialists from both the public and private sector, the association draws upon a varied knowledge base. This allows members to benefit from the educational, training and research-based activities promoted by the association.  If you are reading this article then you are probably interested in the world of records management and archiving. If that is the case, a KARMA membership may be a huge step in the right direction for your professional career.  Here are 6 key reasons you should consider membership:  KARMA will help members to find jobs.  KARMA is a community of like-minded individuals. Being part of a community means you benefit from

We, at The Filing Room, care about efficient management of records and documents. That care expands beyond the records you store with us. We want your whole process streamlined. We know about this stuff and thought we would share some of the thoughts we have had on the different features of effective document management software. So, our team of records management professionals have taken a look at the best document management software available right now. With our experienced eye surveying the options currently available, you don’t have to.   What is Document Management Software?  Document management software or, as industry professionals call it, DM is your business’ prime organization tool. That is especially true if you are running a small to midsized business. It is the software on which you store and organize all your documents. Different document management providers will provide different features. So, it is worth considering each

The new decade brings with it fresh opportunity and a chance for a new start for many people across the globe. It is a symbolic moment where possibilities are endless and the desire for personal change is strong. Back in the year 2000, this feeling of ‘newness’ was even more pronounced. It was the turn of a millennium. A monumental moment for all of humanity. Many of you might remember this period as one of deep uncertainty. Those who worked in computers were worrying about the Y2K bug and whether it would completely immobilise their electronics. For those of you who weren’t around or who can’t remember, the Y2K bug was based on the idea that computer programs listed the date as a 6-digit number: the 1st of January 1999 was codified as 01.01.99. In the year 2000, the last two digits would be 00, the same as they would

Records management is a very important part of maintaining a healthy business. At businesses where records management is not taken seriously, the concept is often reduced to simply the filing away of records. Archiving and document storage are important but they are just two parts of a wider strategy of records management. This article will explain what records management is and, in doing so, demonstrate why it is so important for a dynamic, growing company. What is Records Management?  In large firms, records management is often undertaken by an entire department. The reason being that a company’s records define the company itself. They comprise a timeline of the firm’s history, the memories of its beginning. Records management, whatever system is in place, consists of the creation, maintenance and timely destruction of the data points that create this history. The management system, if done correctly, should create a functional, secure, efficient

It has been a big year for The Filing Room. We have implemented a number of wide-reaching and exciting changes. All of which are part of our mission to build a modern, dynamic and, most importantly, African company that is well-suited to this changing continent. Many interested parties will be unaware of the various changes we have implemented over the past year. If you find yourself in that category, continue reading to find out why we thought they were so important in achieving our aims.   February Our year started with the completion of two massive projects. First, securing our long-term access to state-of-the-art storage facilities. Early on, we completed the legal process of purchasing our Athi River Warehouses. With the paperwork signed we were finally able to take possession of these new storage spaces. Before the month was out, we had completed the first phase of racking. The bottom

Kenya’s capital city is of vital importance to the emerging East African powerhouse and, indeed, the world. It is home to the United Nations African offices as well as that organisation’s Environmental Programme. The UN, among other internationally renowned bodies, base their operations in the capital. As a result, and despite the importance of Mombasa as a port city, Nairobi is the largest contributor to Kenya’s GDP.  Many different industries combine to give Nairobi this status and importance to Kenya. Managing the capital’s efficiency is of vital import to a variety of concerned parties. It is importance to the government, its citizens, international tourists, as well as the business owners that operate within it. One of our previous articles focussed on how office space affects workforce productivity. If you missed that article you can access it here. This article, part two of our investigation into space management within Kenya’s capital,

As any business owner or resident in Nairobi will tell you, property prices are on the rise. HassConsult Limited, the property investment consulting firm, have monitored prices in Kenya’s capital for nearly two decades. Over the first three quarters of 2019, they found a price increase of 8.6% in Muthaiga, one of the city’s major suburbs. Over the same period, they also found a 4.8% rise in Westlands and a 3.7% hike in Lavington. Kenya’s largest city is becoming an increasingly expensive place to buy or rent land. This has a major impact on business and how companies use their space.  Even if Nairobi’s property prices were not rising, a successful business should know how to manage their space effectively. This article will explore some of the reasons why space management is important to all the capital's companies. No matter what industry you operate in managing your workforce is very

Archiving is a skill. The goal is to file all your important documents in as little space as possible whilst retaining ease of access and an intuitive organisational scheme. If you have absolutely nailed your document management system and have squeezed your files away into colour-coded boxes in a small corner of your office, well done. If your filing system is a sprawling mess that takes up loads of room and is impossible to navigate then you should consider how it is impacting your workspace. In this article, part of a three-part series on space management, we will explore 7 alternative uses for space you currently use for filing: Collaborative workspaces for your employees Communal workspaces are a good way of boosting morale and promoting teamwork and camaraderie among your employees. Indeed, workspaces have been proven to promote innovation. Employees are given the space and time to discuss potential solutions