KENYAN GOVERNMENT TO ENHANCE PROFESSIONALISM IN SUPPLY CHAIN

KENYAN GOVERNMENT TO ENHANCE PROFESSIONALISM IN SUPPLY CHAIN

By Hannah Njoki Karanja, Special Correspondent

Kenya Institute of Supplies Management

is committed to enhancing

professionalism in the supply chain.

Speaking during a working tour of the

firm in Nairobi, Felix Kosgei, head of

public service and chief of staff, said

civil servants involved in the supply

chain need to be professionals and must

adhere to laws and regulations.

“Building the capacity of procurement

staff is critical if the government is

to deliver its pledges,” said Felix

Kosgei.

“Procurement is not just walking into a

supermarket to pick any products and

supply it to the office,” head of

public service stressed.

You have to look at timing, quality and

other options,” he explained.

A supply chain encompasses everything

from the delivery of source materials

from the supplier to the manufacturer

through to its eventual delivery to the

end user.

In the government sector, the supply

chain is at the heart of efficient

service delivery.

Therefore, Supply chain in government

is a difficult task as the movement of

goods and services through a number of

bureaucratic levels and agencies takes

time, requires complex planning and is

susceptible to errors.

Delays in the chain of events can lead

to misplaced directives issued by the

government, slower delivery times,

inaccurate data and loss of revenue.

The Chief of Staff Kosgei said KISM is

a strategic institution in economic

development.

Members of the institute are critical

to service delivery and effectiveness

of government. It is for this reason

that we want to be partners with them,”

he stated.

KISM chair John Ndiwa said that the

institute is ready to engage with the

executive to streamline procurement.

We are ready for the challenge because

we are well equipped. The support we

needed is here, so we have no excuse,”

said John.

Ndiwa regretted that the procurement

departments almost always take the

blame when things go wrong in the

government.

“The procurement people are always

blamed when things go wrong but the

fault is sometimes far away,” Ndiwa

further stressed.