President Uhuru Kenyatta has issued a stern warning to his Cabinet and their assistants who will not have fully integrated e-procurement in tendering processes at their ministries by next week that they will be sacked.
The move, he said, is meant to introduce transparency, accountability and eliminate abuse of the country’s existing procurement and financial management process.
“Permanent Secretaries, Cabinet Secretaries when we say we must be on e-procurement we must be, I am following this up myself and if by next week you will not have integrated fully, there are other Kenyans who can have your position,” Kenyatta said.
The President was speaking during the opening of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) terminal two where he urged the civil servants to use public resources to ensure Kenyans receive quality services.
The shift from manual to e-procurement was launched last year in a bid enhance transparency and credibility in the management of public finances and tendering process through the Integrated Financial Management Information System.
Procurement of goods and services constitute about 50 percent of the government’s annual budget and the e-procurement platform will save substantial financial resources and help in instilling confidence among taxpayers that they are getting value for their money.
The system will strengthen the government-supplier relationship by providing easy access to information and documentation, simplify the bidding process and ensure cost saving for the Government and taxpayers.
In March, President Uhuru Kenyatta suspended five cabinet secretaries named in the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) list of shame and appointed other cabinet secretaries to oversee the dockets of the suspended CSs as they are investigated.
