INFLUENCE OF ETHICAL PROCUREMENT ISSUES ON PROCUREMENT PERFORMANCE IN THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF KAKAMEGA, KENYA

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of conflict of interest, competitive bidding, professionalism and adherence to public procurement regulations on procurement performance of Kakamega county government. The study adopted the descriptive research design. The target population for this study was 189 employees constituting of supply chain officers, finance officer, internal auditors and accountants.  Sample size for this study comprised of 125 employees where stratified random sampling was used. Primary data was collected by the use of questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze data. The data was then processed by use of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 24). Multiple regression analysis and correlation analysis was used to establish the relationship between independent and dependent variable. The results indicated that conflict of interest has significant negative influence on procurement performance. On the other hand, professionalism, competitive bidding and adherence to Public Procurement regulations were found to have a significant positive influence on procurement performance of Kakamega County Government. The study concluded that procurement ethical issues which included  conflict of interest, competitive bidding, professionalism and adherence to stipulated public procurement regulations has significant influence on procurement performance. Therefore, the study recommended that there should be guidelines with a clear definition of conflict of interest, as well as put forth requirements for officials involved in the procurement process to disclose information on their private interests and assets, in addition to excusing themselves from certain decision-making processes and prohibiting them from performing certain functions if the opportunities for conflict of interest exist. The study also recommended that county government should come up with more policies to emphasize on the utilization of competitive bidding practices as this will ensure there is reduction in corruption, quality of goods procured and value for money. The study recommended that procurement practitioners involved in procurement should be committed to high standards for professional conduct.

Key Words: Conflict of Interest, Competitive Bidding, Professionalism, Adherence to Public Procurement Regulations

CITATION: Nato, A., Miroga, J., & Otinga, H. (2021). Influence of ethical procurement issues on procurement performance in the county government of Kakamega, Kenya. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 8 (1), 692 – 709.