Ethics, implementation of procurement policies, and efficiency in public high schools in Kenya

Abstract

A number of school principals of high schools have been disciplined by the Ministry of Education due to procurement related issues. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to determine implementing of public procurement policies and their influence on institutional effectiveness in public secondary schools in Kenya. The specific objective of this research was to examine the influence of ethics in implementation of procurement policies on institutional effectiveness in public secondary schools using secondary schools in the former Nyanza Province of Kenya as a case study. The research was based on the institutional theoretical framework and it was a multi methodological investigation adopting cross-sectional survey. The sample comprised principals of schools, deputy principals, teachers, students and Board of Management members sampled randomly. Both qualitative and quantitative data were obtained from the subjects by use of interviews and questionnaires and the data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach and by the use of descriptive methods. We found out that adherence to procurement ethics and moral principles significantly boosts procuring committee performance in public secondary schools. We recommend that let the relevant state organs conduct civic education among school communities that the public might stop losing resources through unethical and immoral procurement practices.