Supply Chain Optimization and Service Delivery in Selected Humanitarian Organizations in Kenya

Abstract

Humanitarian needs across the globe are at an unprecedented level with the numbers increasing every year owing to climate change, conflict and human activities. In Kenya, the most affected people are those living in the arid and semi-arid regions which account for around 80% of the total landmass and an estimated 30% of the total population. The regions are hardest hit by floods and drought due to inadequate land cover and infrastructural deficits resulting from historical marginalization. Humanitarian organizations are therefore at the center of delivery of services to this category of people. Efforts have been made by various humanitarian players ranging from process automation, adoption of better transport and distribution practices and inventory management automation. However, there still exist supply chain challenges touching on service delivery; this study seeks to establish the effect of supply chain optimization on service delivery in selected humanitarian organizations in Kenya. Supply chain optimization addresses these challenges by giving special focus to four specific aspects of the chain that may have effect on service delivery levels, these include; inventory management, strategic sourcing, technology and transport and distribution. The study was anchored on the following theories; resource-based theory, social network theory, time in transit theory and goal setting theory in bid to address the existing research gaps. The study adopted descriptive design and used census survey sampling method considering the fact that only a population of 28 is under consideration. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaire with open and closed ended questions. Descriptive statistics such as percentages, mean, standard deviation and frequencies were used to estimate all quantitative variables. Multiple regressions analysis was used to analyze the data collected and the same presented in form of tables and graphs. The study findings revealed that supply chain optimization influences service delivery in selected humanitarian organizations in Kenya to a great extent. The study also revealed that most aspects of supply chain optimization relied upon technology to function optimally with transport and distribution being the most influential supply chain optimization concept. Inventory management, strategic sourcing and technology were also found to have a positive and statistically significant relationship with service delivery. The study recommends that humanitarian organizations integrate supply chain functions using technology to enhance efficiency and accountability as well as build human resource capabilities to be able to deal with the modern-day supply chain challenges.