The effects of political interference on procurement performance in the parastatal organizations in Dar es Salaam Region

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the effect of political interference on procurement performance in Tanzania's parastatal organization. It was specifically intended to investigate the impact of political interference on the contract award, project allocation, and legal framework implementation on procurement performance and make some recommendations for improvement. The data were collected from heads of departments at 93 parastatal organizations in Dar es Salaam using structured questionnaires. The study's population consisted of 712 respondents, with a sample size of 256 randomly selected, but only 241 questionnaires were returned, completed, and used for analysis. The data were descriptively and inferentially analyzed using a multiple regression analysis with the help of SPSS version 26. The finding shows that political interference in contract award and legal framework implementation negatively influences procurement performance. In contrast, political interference in project allocation positively impacts procurement performance. The study implied that the procuring entity should ensure that politicians were not involved in the procurement process and that only authorized officers were allowed to participate.