Role of Public Procurement Oversight Authority on Procurement Regulations in Kenyan State Corporations. A Case of Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen)

Public procurement has become a major driver of the economy; since the government spends a huge sum of money in this sector. Due to this, the government has established oversight bodies to ensure that public procedures and regulations are followed. Public Procurement Oversight Authority (PPOA) is critical in playing this role. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of PPOA on procurement regulations in Kenyan state corporations. The study sought to determine to which extent the roles of monitoring, policy initiation and review, compliance and implementation of public procurement regulations as roles of PPOA as they affect procurement systems in Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen). The study took place at KenGen Stima Plaza offices in Nairobi. A descriptive case study was used. The population of the study was comprised of workers in the power generation sector. The target population was the staff working in KenGen which consists of 45 people working in the supply chain department that formed the number of respondents; hence the study used a census. The study used both open and close ended questionnaire. Pilot testing was done to ensure the reliability and validity of the instrument. Statistical analysis was carried out using Statistical Packages for Social Science (SPSS version 23). The study concluded that monitoring practices, review of policy, ensuring compliance and implementation of procurement regulations by PPOA affect KenGen procurement activities. The study recommends further research on areas such as the influence of corruption on performance of the PPOA activities within public institutions.