Application and Practice of Sustainable Procurement in Kenya

Abstract

Sustainable procurement isn’t simply about being “green” but it’s also about; socially and ethically responsible purchasing, minimizing environmental impact through the supply chain, delivering economically sound solutions and good business practice. Sustainable procurement is rising on the policy agenda for many countries but knowledge remains limited. In Kenya, the government has put in place a wide range of policy, institutional and legislative to govern all business activities in a move towards green procurement. These include; Environmental Management and Coordination Act (EMCA) 1999, Kenya Solid Waste Management by laws of 2007, The Factories Act (Cap 514 of the Laws of Kenya), The Environmental Management and Co-ordination Regulations, 2006. However, with all these acts and legislations, adoption of green procurement has been slow resulting in lower diffusion rate in Kenya. This study therefore sought to establish the status of green procurement in Kenya while guided by the following objectives: To evaluate the steps made towards sustainable procurement in Kenya, to establish the advantages accrued to a firm which embraces sustainable procurement and to establish the challenges facing a firm which embraces sustainable procurement. The study relied on published secondary data from three sampled industries in Kenya and reports by bodies such as PPOA, CIPs and UNEP. Purposive / selective sampling design was employed in selecting the three industries under study. The study established that though the drive towards pollution prevention and minimization of environmental impacts at all stages of the product lifecycle from sourcing of raw materials, through manufacturing, transport, use and disposal has not been embraced by the sampled industries, there was evidence of allegations of irregular procurement at some companies, including non-adherence to environmental issues. Advantages associated with sustainable procurement included; minimizing risks, gaining market share and delivering better service provision. Challenges encountered were: employees resistant to change, the initial cost incurred, poor policy communication among others