AN INVESTIGATION OF PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AS A PROCUREMENT METHOD FOR PUBLIC SERVICES IN KENYA - A CASE STUDY OF CITY COUNCIL OF NAIROBI PUBLIC TOILET SERVICES.

Abstract

The rapid urbanization being experienced throughout the world has caused significant rise in the demand for urban public services. In order to meet this challenge and overcome the associated financial and management requirements inadequacies, most governments and local authorities are turning to Public Private Partnerships in an attempt to attract private investments in the area of public service provision. This concept is however fairly new and most governments, including the Kenyan one are ill prepared in terms of knowledge and experience to put it into practice. The study therefore sought to add to the very little literature available on the subject particularly in respect of Kenyan experiences and thereby benefit the Kenyan market. This was done by way of a case study entitled wan investigation of public private partnerships as a procurement method for public services in Kenya - a case study of city council of Nairobi public toilet services. The objectives of the study were:-(i) to find out the current government policy on public procurement and Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Kenya(ii) to find out the legal and institutional frameworks for PPPs in Kenya (iii) to find out how the PPPs between City Council of Nairobi (CCN) and the private toilet operators were formulated and implemented(iv) to establish the level of satisfaction of the users of public toilets in the City of Nairobi before and after the toilets were taken over from CCN by the Partnerships (v) to find out the impact of the PPPs on the quality, availability, accessibility and affordability of the City’s public toilet services (vi) to find out the effectiveness of the existing toilet charges system. (vii) to suggest recommendations for the improvement of public toilet services in the city of Nairobi and other Local Authorities in Kenya. (viii) to suggest recommendations for the improvement of PPPs in Kenya. The study was guided by the following questions: - (i) What is the current government policy on public procurement and public private partnerships in Kenya? (ii) What are the legal and institutional frameworks for PPPs in Kenya? (iii) How were the Public -Private Partnerships between CCN and the private toilet operators formulated and implemented? (iv) What was the level of satisfaction of users of public toilets in the City of Nairobi before and after the toilets were taken over from CCN's management by the Partnerships? (v) Have the Public -Private Partnerships between the CCN and the private toilet operators improved the quality, affordability, accessibility and availability of public toilet services in the City of Nairobi? (vi) How effective is the existing toilet charges system? (vii) What recommendations can be made for the improvement of public toilet services in the city of Nairobi and other Local Authorities in Kenya?