Eugine Wabwile 
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has issued a directive requiring all government departments to be fully integrated into the newly launched e-procurement system by next week.
The move is aimed at ensuring the timely commencement of the national procurement process and enhancing transparency across public spending.Mbadi emphasized that the digital platform will automate the entire procurement cycle from budgeting to payment marking a significant shift from the current hybrid system that relies heavily on manual processes after budget uploads via the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS).
“This new e-procurement system is end-to-end; it starts from budgeting to the payment stage,” Mbadi explained. “The new system will help curb issues that arise during the awarding of tenders.”
Mbadi revealed that the government had already invested heavily in the system, questioning the delay in its implementation. He noted that the platform was procured in 2022 at a cost of $2.9 million (Ksh.375 million), with Parliament later approving a total of Ksh.565 million to operationalize the project.“This money was approved by Parliament, yet the system has not been implemented to date,” he said.
The CS warned that failure by any state entity to onboard into the system would be deemed irregular though not illegal but stressed that in accounting terms, irregularities carry equal weight to illegalities and are punishable.
Mbadi assured the public that the e-procurement system is fortified with robust security features designed to prevent document manipulation. He explained that once a tender document is uploaded, it cannot be deleted or amended. Any errors would require the entire transaction to be rejected and restarted.“That is why many people are finding it discomforting,” he remarked, adding that the system’s rigidity is intentional to safeguard integrity.
To accelerate the rollout, Mbadi disclosed that his team has been instructed to work through the weekend to ensure all budgets processed through the Controller of Budget and uploaded to IFMIS are ready for integration.“By next week, all state departments must be in the system so that the procurement process can commence,” he said.The directive comes amid broader efforts to digitize government services, including recent transitions such as Karura Forest’s shift to E-Citizen for entry and parking payments.
