Freedom of Information Legislation In Esarbica Member States and its Implication on Records Management Practices

This paper addresses the question of freedom of information. It begins by arguing that although all Citizens have the right of access to information, each citizen is entitled to enjoy certain rights that must be protected and must be enshrined in a freedom of information legislation. The paper identifies the major elements that should be contained in an ideal freedom of information legislation, explains the major procedures to be followed when requesting for information under FoI and finally assess the impact FoI is likely to have on record keeping requirements particularly on Eastern and Southern African region. (African Journal of Library, Archives and Information Science: 2000 10 (1): 43-54