Disaster Management Strategies And Business Continuity Amongst Parastatals In Kenya Case Of Kenya Power And Lighting Company

ABSTRACT

Major emergencies, disasters and other crises is no respecter of national borders and never occur at convenient times. The magnitude of human suffering caused by these events is huge, and many aspects of people’s lives are affected – businesses, health, security, housing, access to food, water and other life commodities, to name but a few. That is why it is vital to have emergency plans in place, so that the effects of disasters on people and their assets can be mitigated, and a coordinated response may be launched as effectively and efficiently as possible when disasters or other crises strike. The general objective of this study was to assess disaster management strategies and building business continuity amongst Parastatals in Kenya. The study specifically focused on Kenya Power And Lighting Company. Specifically, the study sought to analyze the influence of strategies adopted, response measures’ efficiency, mitigation measures and disaster recovery mechanisms on business continuity of parastatals in Kenya.. A descriptive research design was adopted for the study. A sample size of 42 respondents from a target population of 412 staff members was selected using purposive sampling technique. Data obtained was organized, coded and analyzed using qualitative and quantitative methods using SPSS (Version 20). Primary data was collected using self-administered questionnaires. The data collected from this study was mainly presented through the use of summarized percentages, proportions and tabulations. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used in the study. The study concluded that there exists a direct relationship between strategies adopted on disaster management and disaster recovery mechanism on business continuity. The results were however inconclusive as to whether response measures’ efficiency and mitigation measures influence business continuity. The study recommends that top level management pays more attention to helping raise business continuity management to a strategic level and support the existence of integrated framework for business continuity management.