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The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has decried the low uptake of the Electronic Government Procurement (EGP) system by counties.

According to the authority, Murang’a was the only county that had wholly embraced the system, which had faced opposition from the Council of Governors (CoG).

It emerged that the number of government agencies that had embraced the system had risen from 600 to 900 in the last year.

PPRA Director General Patrick Wanjuki, said the new platform had enhanced transparency and integrity by providing for real-time transactions.

“The number of public entities that have migrated to the new procurement electronic system has hit 900 in the last three years amidst reluctance from the Council of Governors”, said Wanjuki.

Wanjuki regretted that CoG had moved to court to oppose the adoption of the new system. The court directed the use of both manual and electronic systems.

However, he said the use of manual systems in public procurement would negate the fight against corruption by allowing opaque processes with no value for money.

Wanjuki lauded Murang’a County for leading the pace in the adoption of the electronic system, with over 100 tenders floated on the system.

He was addressing the Press in Sawela Lodge, Naivasha, during the induction of new board members and chairperson of the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM).

KISM CEO Kenneth Matiba noted improved compliance among members in line with the Supply Chain Act that calls for enhanced accountability.

Matiba said the positive change in compliance comes after an audit flagged blatant noncompliance among practitioners with counties and State agencies leading.

“We conducted a survey last year in which cases of noncompliance, mainly in the counties and State agencies, were high, but after engagement, there was improvement,” he said.

He welcomed the election of the first female Chairperson, adding that the new council aimed to forge new partnerships to enhance regulatory compliance and policy interventions.

The newly elected Board Chairperson, Jennifer Siringi, said that the adoption of new e-procurement had impacted the government business in the supply chain space and called for more compliance.

Siringi pledged that in partnership with stakeholders in the sector, her tenure would seek to drive and ensure professional integrity, innovation, and policy shifts in order to position Kenya on the global stage in the supply Chain and procurement space.