Procurement Practices and Implementation of Cancer Treatment Projects in Devolved Systems of Government in Kenya.

The burden of cancer in Kenya has been rising, and since devolution county governments have been responsible for establishing cancer treatment centres and acquiring oncology equipment, yet many of these projects suffer from delayed tendering, cost overruns, non-compliance with procurement law and the engagement of underqualified suppliers. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the influence of procurement practices on the implementation of cancer treatment projects in devolved systems of government in Kenya. It specifically examined the influence of project procurement planning, supplier management, contract management and procurement performance evaluation on the implementation of cancer treatment projects. The study was anchored on the Resource-Based View, Transaction Cost Economics, Principal-Agent Theory and the Balanced Scorecard. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, targeting 120 procurement officers, finance officers, health administrators and county executive members for health drawn from 30 cancer treatment projects in Kenya. A sample of 92 respondents was determined using Yamane's formula and selected through stratified sampling. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and both descriptive and inferential statistical methods, namely Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis, were used to analyse the data, which were presented in tables and discussed. The findings revealed that the four procurement practices were positively and significantly related to the implementation of cancer treatment projects and jointly explained a substantial share of its variation. Project procurement planning had the strongest influence, followed by contract management, supplier management and procurement performance evaluation. The study, therefore, recommends that county governments should strengthen needs identification and budgeting in procurement planning, institutionalize supplier performance evaluation and relationship management, involve clinical stakeholders in contract monitoring and closure, and enforce audit procedures and value-for-money assessments so as to enhance the implementation of cancer treatment projects in Kenya.