Logistics Information Systems and Performance of International Humanitarian Organizations in Kenya

Abstract

Humanitarian organizations play a large role in providing aid to people affected by disasters all over the world. Their operations largely rely on the logistics function to enable them deliver the goods, services and works required within a reasonable time in response to the disasters in order to maximize on the number of lives saved and the impact of their programs. Logistics Information Systems are widely used by international humanitarian organizations to manage the logistics process. The purpose of this study was to establish the impact of logistics information systems on the performance of international humanitarian organizations in Kenya and the challenges of implementing these systems in these organizations. To satisfy the study objectives, data was collected from international humanitarian organizations in Kenya. The data was collected using structured questionnaires which had open and closed ended questions. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and presented in tables and graphs. Multivariate Analysis of variance was used to establish the impact of logistics information systems on performance of IHOs. The study established that logistics information system play an important role in the performance of IHOs in Kenya by boosting cost effectiveness, timely delivery, accurate and timely reporting as well as supply chain visibility. The prohibitive cost of implementing logistics information systems, lack of adequate management support and data security risks are some of the challenges facing the implementation of logistics information systems. The recommendation is for management of IHOs to maximize the value the organizations can obtain through the logistics information systems by providing adequate support and backing their implementation