Role of Electronic Data Interchange On Supply Chain Performance in Cargo Distribution Management in Kenya: A Case of Mombasa Port

The research project is an investigation into the role of E.D.I on supply chain performance in the cargo distribution management in Kenya. The Port of Mombasa is the major gateway to Kenya’s international trade by sea handling 22 million tons of goods in 2013 (KPA, 2014). This represents double the volume of Dar es Salaam Port and only 4% of the volume 557.5 million tons that was handled through the port of Singapore. Over the last decade, the Government and the private sector have invested heavily in the improvement and modernization of the transport infrastructure and services aimed at improving trade facilitation. Some of these investments include the dredging of the Mombasa Port, completion of Berth 19, construction of the second container terminal, development of Embakasi ICD, focus on regional road links, privatization and improvement of weighbridges, customs modernization project, the standard gauge railway line, development of KRA Simba 2005 System, and the E.D.I.. Despite all these, issues still remain (African Universal Consulting, 2014).
The objectives of the study are the roles of E.D.I corporate policies, employee training, and volume of cargo processing and employee culture on supply chain performance in the cargo distribution management in Kenya’s Mombasa Port. The research used descriptive research design as it provides information on the characteristics of the phenomenon. The population was 167 employees of the Mombasa Port and the population sample was 50 employees who work at the operations department both at the office and in the field and amongst them,5 line managers were selected purposively . The response was 70% successful with a response of 35 out of 50 respondents. The sampling design that was used is the stratified random. A pilot test was done with the key informants before the full administration of questionnaire. Nevertheless, the researcher used questionnaires as the main method of data collection, although interviews and observations were applied as well. Data was then analyzed using the quantitative and descriptive statistics, then presented using tables and pie charts, whereas the quantitative data was coded and data was be entered in SPSS for analysis. The findings from this study showed that E.D.I plays a great role in the cargo distribution management at the Mombasa Port, although there are issues which include; inadequate non IT staff training, lack of trust of other EDI partners, negative staff employee culture by some employees and stakeholders, more requirements of changes in business requirements than expected, unforeseen technical problems and the system compatibility problems. In conclusion, a well adopted, planned and executed EDI roles and application process is necessary for the cargo distribution management at the Mombasa Port.