Nearly half of supply chain practitioners in Kenya are either incompetent, operating unlawfully or unqualified, a new study has found.
The Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM) found that a massive 40 per cent of supply chain professionals, particularly those employed by county governments, lack the necessary qualifications.
Supply chain practitioners are experts who oversee the distribution, warehousing, inventory, logistics, and procurement processes for a variety of industries. They include freight forwarders, supply chain analysts, warehouse supervisors, logistics managers, procurement officers, and inventory controllers.
KISM data shows that most staff in the procurement departments in the counties are unfit to hold their positions.
“We cannot be able to say that the counties are having cases of non-compliance because of ABCD, but I think what we are seeing is an opportunity for us to partner with the counties to build their capacities,” KISM CEO Kenneth Matiba told the press on Tuesday.
The study further found that 15 per cent of the practitioners in 109 institutions are operating unlawfully.
Supply chain practitioners are required to be certified and regulated under the Supplies Practitioners Management Act, 2007, which mandates registration through KISM.
The law stipulates that “a person shall not practise as a supply practitioner unless that person is registered under this Act.”
Practitioners must hold valid practising licences issued by KISM and adhere to the institute’s code of ethics. Common professional certifications include the Certified Procurement and Supply Professional of Kenya (CPSP-K) and the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS) qualifications, which are widely recognised in both the public and private sectors.
According to KISM, 116 practitioners were found to be operating without licences, of which 93 cases have been found to have a prima facie case of professional misconduct.
“We have about 33,000 schools in Kenya, most of which do procurement not the right way, and the youth are not licensed or registered, per se,” noted KISM Council chairman John Karani.
The new revelations come as the government struggles with the endemic problem of fake certificates. According to an audit by the Public Service Commission (PSC), over 2,000 public officers secured employment, promotions, or re-designations using falsified academic and professional certificates.
The audit, which covered 331 institutions, including ministries, state departments, agencies, and public universities, found that out of 53,599 certificates submitted for verification, 1,280 were confirmed as forged.
As a result, the government last month called for a review of all certificates of civil servants in a bid to clean up the public service.
