Factors Influencing Compliance to Procurement Laws and Regulations in County Governments: A Case of Embu County

The Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015, operationalizes Article 227 of the Constitution; to provide procedures for efficient public procurement and for assets disposal by public entities, and for connected purposes. With the introduction of the devolved system of governance, business pressures are ever-increasing and public entities are now faced with persistent public outcry over poor procurement performance. This study scrutinized the factors influencing compliance with procurement laws and regulations in Embu County Government. Across section descriptive research design was applied targeting procurement officers, county directors, and accounts staff giving a sample size of 30 respondents. A stratified random sampling procedure was used to overcome the problem of skewed sampling associated with purposive sampling. The research project was guided by research questions based on the variables aforementioned. Data were collected by the use of the questionnaire and analyzed using Statistical Package for Social sciences (SPSS) software to generate frequency tables. Responses were provided on a Likert scale. Statistics were presented in descriptive form supported by frequency counts and percentages. The findings of the study revealed that professional ethics, staff awareness, and budgetary allocation influence compliance with procurement laws and regulations. Staff were aware of and trained on the public procurement and asset disposal Act, of 2015. However, they lacked information and training on the procurement code of ethics. It is therefore recommended that the County develops, trains staff, and institutionalizes the procurement code of ethics. Furthermore, budget allocation to various departments should take into consideration pending bills and such bills should be forwarded to County Assembly for budget formulation