“No going back on e-procurement roll out,” Ruto tells public officers » Capital News

SIAYA, Kenya Aug 31 – President William Ruto has ruled out any reversal of the government’s electronic procurement system, insisting it will remain in place despite growing opposition.

Ruto defended the platform as the most effective tool to eliminate corruption in the acquisition of government goods and services.

“Many people are used to getting corrupt tenders, something worth two shillings, we buy for ten shillings as a government because of corrupt procurement there with quotations and so on and so forth. We have said we are putting this e-procurement in place, so that everybody can know how much an item was bought for and who sold it to the government. And why did the person with two shillings not get that tender, but the person with ten shillings did? That is what we want to do,” the President said.

He dismissed critics, saying no amount of intimidation or blackmail would compel the government to abandon the system.

“I know there is resistance from procurement officers and accounting officers, they do not want this because they want to continue with the old corruption.”

“That is why they are writing headlines, oh, I don’t know, embezzlement, I don’t know, 5 billion, I don’t know what. You, with your corruption, your headlines, and your graft, cannot stop us from ensuring that government money is used as it should be. And we are going to implement in procurement. There is no going back,” The President explained.

The rollout of the mandatory e-procurement system has sparked mixed reactions, with a section of MPs and Governors voicing strong objections.

The e-Government Procurement (e-GP) system was officially launched on April 7, 2025, and is set to become the sole platform for all public procurement processes across Ministries, Departments, and Government Agencies (MDAs) starting from the 2025/26 financial year.

According to the National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, the system is expected to save the country up to Sh50 billion annually by curbing procurement-related fraud and inefficiencies.

The e-GP system digitizes the entire procurement process—from planning and bidding to contract management and payment.

Suppliers are required to register on the platform, submit bids online, and track the status of tenders and contracts.

Mbadi explained that the system’s rigid transparency and accountability features are deliberately designed to close loopholes that have long enabled corruption and irregular tendering.