The Freedom of Information Bill, 2012
Management of records.
48. (1) In this section(a) “records” means a document or other source of
information compiled,recorded or stored in written form
or film by electronic process or in any other manner;
(b) records shall be accurate,authentic,have integrity and
useable.
(2)Every public authority shall keep and maintain its records in a
manner which facilitates the right of access to information as
provided for in this Act.
(3) At a minimum, to qualify to have complied with the duty to
keep and maintain records under subsection (1), every public
authority shall –
(a) create and preserve such records as are necessary to
document adequately its policies, decisions,
procedures, transactions and other activities it
undertakes pertinent to the implementation of its
mandate;
(b) ensure that records in its custody, including those
held in electronic form, are maintained in good order
and condition; and
(c) within no more than three years from the date that
this Act begins to apply to it, computerize its records
and information management systems in order to
facilitate more efficient access to information.
Electronic records.
Offence of alteration,
defacement, blocking, erasure
etc
49.Every public authority or private body shall operate and
maintain digital records.
50. (1) Where an application to access information has been made to
a public authority under section 29 of this Act and the applicant would
have been entitled, subject to payment of any fee, to provision of any
information in accordance with that section, any person to whom this
section applies commits of an offence if he alters, defaces, blocks,
erases, destroys or conceals any record held by the public authority, with
the intention of preventing the disclosure by that authority of all, or any
part, of the information provision of which the applicant would have
been entitled.
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