Abstract:
The security, integrity, and accessibility of financial data are at risk due to unauthorized access, data modifications, and data destruction in integrated computerized accounting systems (ICAS). The study assessed how well integrated computerized accounting systems (ICAS) affected SACCOs' internal controls in Embu County, Kenya. The study's goals were to ascertain the impact of segment information on the internal controls of SACCOs in Embu County and the impact of integrated financial operations on those internal controls. The study's conclusions are useful to SACCO management in adopting ICAS to strengthen internal controls, accounting software developers in developing software that satisfies SACCO needs, and future researchers as they serve as the foundation for subsequent studies. In Embu County, a composition county with branches of some of the largest SACCOs in Kenya, 50 out of the targeted 70 branch managers, supervisors, attendants, accountants, and directors participated in the study's descriptive survey designs. The five SACCOs in Embu County were the demographic that was targeted. The 50 branch managers, directors, supervisors, attendants, and accountants were all included in the census procedure. Only five SACCOs in Embu County answered to a closed-ended questionnaire that was used to gather data from the SACCOs there. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 was used to analyze the data using Likert scales, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics, and to show the results in tables and figures. Standard deviation and the mean were utilized as descriptive techniques. Multivariate regression analysis and correlation analysis are two inferential statistics that are used to assess the model's fit. According to the study's findings, computerized integrated accounting and integrated financial operations are favourably significant in enhancing internal controls, however segment information has a negative impact.
