Gender-based public procurement practices in Kenya and South Africa

Abstract

This article reports on the gender-based public procurement practices in Kenia and South Africa and provides a framework for the post-2015 Millennium Development Agenda of public works programmes to accommodate Millennium Development Goal 3 that focuses on gender equality and women’s empowerment. Public procurement is a sector that allows governments to realise economic benefits through its financial-driven programmes. The concern is whether this sector accommodates men and women equitably in terms of resource allocation and economic well-being. The literature review indicates that women are not benefited on a large scale due to practical challenges that include lack of access to information regarding public procurement practices; understanding of tenders; ownership; and financial access, to state a few. At the onset of the Millennium Development Goals (now part of the post-2015 Global Development Agenda), the Millennium Development Goal 3 (Gender equality and women’s empowerment) serves as the rationale for this article. This article addresses the following dual research question: What is the status of gender inclusiveness in public procurement practices and how can the public procurement practices be utilised in promoting women empowerment? The article aims to determine the level of gender-based equality and responsiveness in public procurement policies in Kenya and South Africa.