Assessment of Materials Management in Kenyan Manufacturing Firms

Abstract

This study examined the recognition Kenyan manufact uring firms are giving to materials management and the benefits of adopting good materi als management practices since long-term success and survival of any firm depends on how wel l their costs are managed. The study surveyed medium and large manufacturing firms based in Nairobi, Kenya. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select 55 firms whil e the data was collected using a structured questionnaire consisting mainly of both close-ended and open-ended questions. The data was analysed through descriptive statistics such as pro portions, percentages, median and mean. 23 percent of the firms were found to recognize materi als management as they had an in-charge reporting directly to the chief executive officer. However, generally Kenyan firms were not practicing professionalism in materials management and owing to the huge amount of resources they were committing on materials related activitie s; a lot of emphasis need to be directed towards materials management and it should be recog nized as a top management function.