All State departments must be on e-procurement system by next week: Mbadi

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, the CS explained that the new platform would revolutionize public procurement by automating the entire process. 

He added that the e-procurement system would enhance transparency and seal loopholes that have previously enabled corruption. 

“For clarity, no procurement can be done before the budget is uploaded into the system. By next week all state departments must be in the system so that the procurement process can commence,” Mbadi said.

“This new e-procurement system is end-to-end; it starts from budgeting to the payment stage. In the current system, once the national budget is uploaded on the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), the rest of the procurement is manual. The new system will help curb issues that arise during the awarding of tenders,” he explained.

Mbadi also disclosed that the government had already invested significantly in the project and questioned why state departments had taken so long to transition into the new system. 

“In 2022, we procured a system, spent 2.9 million USD (Ksh.375 million). This system was procured in 2022, but has not been implemented to date. This money that we spent was approved by Parliament. Parliament approved Ksh.565 million for us to actualize e-procurement,” he said.

Further, the CS warned of consequences should the state departments fail to onboard into the new system, citing that “If an entity does not onboard on the e-procurement system, it will be irregular but not illegal. However, in accounting, irregularity is equally punishable as illegality."

The CS assured that the new platform has strict security measures to prevent the manipulation of documents. 

“All the information that will be required for the tender will be uploaded to the system. The way the system is designed, it is designed in such a way that you cannot delete a document, you cannot amend. If you go through the system and it reaches a point and you have made mistakes, you will have to reject the whole transaction and start afresh," he remarked.

"Those are the security features we are putting here. That is why many people are finding it discomforting,” he explained, adding that efforts are underway to fast-track the integration. 

“I've told my team (that there will be) no weekend for them to make sure that all budgets processed through the controller of budget and have come to the IFMIS system must be uploaded so that the counties can put their procurement plan and start procuring,” he said.