The Government has challenged Heads of Procurement in public institutions to find ways of delivering their mandates within set timelines to avert bureaucratic red tape and enhance efficiency.
Deputy Head of the Public Service (DHOPS) Amos Gathecha said procurement officers should critically assess how their decisions can shorten procurement timelines without compromising integrity.
Gatchecha, who was speaking when he officially closed the Fifth Heads of Procurement and Supply Chain Management Conference in Mombasa, urged the officers to use data to improve planning and contract management while expanding opportunities for local enterprises, youth, women and persons with disabilities.
He said if every institution acts decisively on these issues, Kenya will realise significant improvements in public expenditure performance.
The DHOPS said procurement should be viewed as a strategic tool for implementing government policies, promoting economic growth, strengthening integrity and delivering better services to Kenyans, rather than merely an administrative function.
He said the success of public procurement should ultimately be measured by its impact on citizens, noting that Government performance is judged not by how much it spends, but by what it delivers.
Gathecha further directed all public procuring entities, including Ministries, Departments and Agencies, County Governments and State Corporations, to undertake procurement activities exclusively through the Electronic Government Procurement System (e-GP).
He said procurement undertaken outside the e-GP platform would neither be approved nor paid for, describing the measure as mandatory in eliminating manual loopholes, enhancing value for money and restoring public trust.
The DHOPS disclosed that more than 1,500 public procuring entities had been registered and onboarded onto the e-GP platform.
However, he cautioned that technology alone could not transform procurement, stressing that digital systems require ethical professionals, artificial intelligence requires informed judgement, and data requires effective leadership.
“Ultimately, institutions succeed because people choose integrity, professionalism and accountability every day,” he said.
Gathecha said creating public value requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-economy approach, noting that Government needs capable suppliers, businesses require predictable institutions, and investors seek confidence, while citizens demand results.
He said procurement professionals are at the heart of the country’s development agenda, noting that Kenya’s future prosperity will increasingly depend on how effectively public resources are transformed into public value.
By Jacqueline Adyang
