The Influence of Procurement Agents on Effective Disposal of Stores in Government Ministries in Kenya

Abstract

The objective of the study was to establish the relationship between qualifications of staff of procurement agents and effective disposal of stores in Government ministries in Kenya. The scope of this study was the government ministries in Kenya. The major limitations in the study were time and cost constraints which were addressed through sampling. It was assumed that the responses submitted were factual and the sample size was a true presentation of the population. The study was grounded on scientific management theory. The research methodology in this study was a descriptive research design that utilized both quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques. The research population in this study was 1446 comprising all supply chain officers in government ministries in Kenya. A sample of 30% of the population was selected through simple random sampling technique which translated into a sample size of 433 supply chain officers. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection after pilot testing for validity and reliability. Quantitative data was analyzed descriptively using measures of central tendency and standard deviation and presented by use of frequency tables. Qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis. Ethical considerations of benevolence, confidentiality and disclosure of findings were observed throughout the research. The results show that qualification of the staff of procurement agents influences effective disposal of stores. Level of skills possessed by staff, management courses, and skills on records management are important aspects in assessing procurement agents’ qualifications. It was recommended in this study that the National Treasury and Public Procurement Oversight Authority should come up with a standardized way of classifying procurement agents. In addition, it was recommended that Government Ministries should improve on the criteria used to vet procurement agents and should ensure that procurement agents are paid on time.

Keywords: Procurement agents, Effective disposal, Stores, Government Ministries