Title: THE DETERMINANTS OF YOUTH ACCESS TO PUBLIC PROCUREMENT OPPORTUNITIES IN STATE CORPORATIONS IN KENYA
Abstract: The objective of this study was to find out the determinants for youth access to procurement opportunities in Kenya. The research design employed in this study was descriptive. The target population was 748 respondents comprising of the Supply chain managers of from 187 state corporations in Kenya. Stratified random sampling was used with sample size of 30% of the target population, which comprised of 224 respondents. The researcher collected data using questionnaires. The study adopted both qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques. The researcher used statistical package for social sciences, SPSS Version 21 and Microsoft word tools to aid in data analysis. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data. On the extent of the youth’s uptake of government procurement opportunities in government ministries in Kenya, the study concluded that the youth’s uptake of government procurement opportunities in government ministries in Kenya were to a large extent. On the factors that influence the youth’s uptake of government procurement opportunities, the study concluded that Access to information, Access to Finance, Legal Framework and Ethics in Procurement were the key underlying factors that influence youth’s uptake government procurement opportunities in government ministries in Kenya. In regard to the relationship between the underlying factors identified and the youth’s uptake of government procurement opportunities, the study concluded that there is a strong and positive relationship between the factors identified and the youth’s uptake of government procurement opportunities in government ministries in Kenya. The underlying factors accounted for or explained 81% of the total variance in uptake of procurement opportunities by the youth. This study recommended that the government should continuously train the youths on how to exploit the procurement opportunities set aside for them by the state and should come up with regulations to ensure the youth can access finance, information and fairness. The greatest limitation faced by the researcher was that most of the respondents approached were reluctant in giving some information fearing that the information sought would be used to intimidate them or create a negative image of the ministries they work for. On suggestions for further research, a research into the uptake of government procurement opportunities by the youth in other government institutions should be explored. CITATION: Okasida, A. O., & Moronge, M. (2021). The determinants of youth access to public procurement opportunities in state corporations in Kenya. T he Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 8 (2), 237 – 368. Key Words: Access to Information, Access to Finance, Legal Framework, Ethics in Procurement