| dc.description.abstract | With the launch of the Vision 2030, Kenya was expected to quickly become the top BPO destination in Africa with the BPO industry in Kenya providing over 7,500 direct jobs with an additional GDP contribution of Kshs 10 billion. Through this ambitious plan Kenya was and is still expected to attract top international IT suppliers so as to create confidence in more investments, thereby attracting leading multinational corporations and foreign companies with top BPO brands. Despite this, Kenya and its other East African countries are conspicuously missing in the world’s top 50 most attractive global outsourcing destinations. The purpose of this study was to establish a strategic planning for business process outsourcing in Kenya. Taking into consideration that Sameer Business Park was established as a the first BPO centre in the country and the region, the study thus focused on it with the view of learning why the venture had failed to take off.
The research employed a mixed methodological approach and used three sets of instruments which included; a questionnaire, interview schedule with key informants and document analysis guide. In total 44 participants were involved. The study established that though Kenya was a suitable destination for locating BPO’s, the industry was faced with a myriad of challenges. These included weak BPO incentives, poor infrastructure, high cost of operation, inadequate BPO facilities, ineffective marketing and comparatively expensive technology. Presence of manpower and skilled labour were found to be factors that could greatly enhance the BPO industry in Kenya. The study recommends that to attract foreign and local investors the government should not only provide a legal and regulatory framework for the industry, but also assist the growth of the BPO industry by providing the necessary incentives that encourage and motivate
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entrepreneurs (both local and foreign) to take the risk and invest in Kenya. The principal proposition of this study is that there is need to implement a successful BPO strategy. The research recommends that further study be undertaken to determine the type and areas of incentives that the government can adopt to assist in the growth of the BPO industry and determine the effects of this kind of incentives towards motivating entrepreneurs into investing in the Kenyan BPO industry. | en |
