INFLUENCE OF EMPLOYEE COMPETENCE ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT IN THE SELECTED COUNTY GOVERNMENTS IN KENYA
John Kiprono Toroitich - Master of Business Administration, University of Embu, Kenya
Dr. Kirema Nkanata Mburugu - Lecturer, Department of Business and Economics, University of Embu, Kenya
Lucas Waweru - Lecturer, Department of Business and Economics, Chuka University, Kenya
ABSTRACT
In the recent competitive and dynamic business environment, there has been greater recognition of the need for public sector organizations to harness innovative technologies in order to enhance efficiency and cost savings throughout the institutions. In Kenya, the Government introduced an electronic procurement system with the aim of promoting openness and accountability in the use of public money. Despite these efforts by the national government and the benefits of e-procurement, the system has not been fully implemented by the county governments. This study therefore, assessed the influence of employee competence on the implementation of e-procurement by county governments in Kenya. Descriptive research design was used and the target population was the 47 county governments in Kenya. A sample of 5 county governments was used in the study. The sample was selected using simple random sampling technique. A questionnaire was used to collect primary data from the sampled population. In order to determine the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, pretesting of the research instruments was conducted. To establish the validity of the research instrument, content validity was used while internal consistency method was used to determine the reliability. The data collected was analyzed using statistical package for social sciences. The data was analyzed through descriptive statistics and presented through percentages, means, standard deviations and frequencies. The study found that employee competence has a significant positive influence on the implementation of e-procurement in county governments. County governments should therefore train staff on the use of e-procurement tools in order to enhance the implementation of e-procurement. The institutions should also employ qualified staff and avail them with electronic procurement manual to guide on e-procurement processes and assist in the implementation of e procurement.