Kenya’s Treasury Principal Secretary, Chris Kiptoo has said that with immediate effect, suppliers, contractors, and consultants must register themselves on the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) portal or visit designated registration centers, including Treasury Building in Nairobi and Huduma Centres countrywide, to ensure a smooth transition to the new digit procurement system.
It was noted that the national treasury is part of a bigger reform programme backed by the International Monetary Fund, which has instituted the e-GP system to improve transparency and efficiency in government procurement.
It should be recalled that the originally scheduled date for deployment, mid-2024, was delayed due to funding problems, leading to the need for special funding to support the project’s implementation, with plans to introduce it by the first quarter of 2025.
The new system will be geared towards reducing the cost of goods, works, and services while at the same time shortening the procurement cycle, thus providing streamlining for procurement operations. The idea here is to digitize the transactions so that rogue officials would no longer find it easy to exploit their position to process payments and approve contracts.
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An important feature of this e-GP system is its link with the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) so that suppliers receive automatic payments. In the future, suppliers will receive purchase orders directly from IFMIS via email, leading to enhanced efficiency and accountability of payment processes.
In pursuing this digitalization of procurement, the government hopes to fight corruption, improve transparency, and attain better management of the procurement process. This transition is a remarkable step towards the modernization of the public procurement system of Kenya, in equal measure with the global best practices.
