Contribution of systems automation to the reduction of corruption levels at the Kenya Ports Authority

Abstract

Corruption remains a major problem in most parastatals in Kenya not excluding Kenya Port Authority. The main objective of this study was to study the contribution of systems automation to the reduction of corruption levels at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA). To achieve this, the researcher sought to address the following specific objectives; to establish the nature of systems automation deployed at KPA, strategies adopted to support systems automation, and the effectiveness of the systems automation in the reduction of corruption at the KPA. The study was anchored on Technological Determinism theory and the Theory of Social Determinism. The researcher employed a descriptive survey design to evaluate the objectives of this study. The target population for this study was 6511 staff members from Kenya Ports Authority from 27 departments. A sample of 377 staff from KPA was recruited to participate in the study. To ensure fair distribution and avoidance of bias, a stratified sampling technique was used to determine sample representatives from each department to participate in the study; the researcher further used simple random sampling to select individual members of the department for this study. Piloting of the study tool was done targeting staff from Kenya Revenue Authority’s (KRA) Port Office from which reliability of the tool was determined. The KRA Port office being a strategic partner and having physical premises at the Port of Mombasa is deemed ideal for piloting. This averted the possibility of respondents of the main study being influenced to respond to questionnaires in a particular pre-determined way. The primary was gathered using questionnaires and an interview guide. Reliability was established by calculating Cronbach’s coefficient alpha where values obtained were greater than 0.70 and were considered good or acceptable. The collected data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics in Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 and then the results were presented in form of graphs, pie charts, percentages, and frequencies. The thematic approach was used in summarizing qualitative data in line with the three research objectives. The qualitative findings are presented using a descriptive approach. The findings of this study have a significant contribution to policymakers, KPA, parastatals, and scholars. The study found that various automated systems had been adopted at KPA. The commonly used systems include SAP (47.7%), CARTOS (31.1%), and KWATOS (9.8%). The study also found various strategies had been adapted to support system automation; training of the staff (21.1%) system audit (12.5%) and allocation of resources (6.6%) to improve automated systems. It was also observed that the automation eliminated human factors in the clearing of cargo and particularly payments, tracking of cargo which initially was done through human escort leading to reduced corrupt practices at the port. The study concluded that there is an association between automation and reduction in corruption. The study recommends increased automation of major operations at the port to enhance the fight against corruption at the port and continued strategizing to support system success at the port.