A day after President William Ruto dared leaders within his administration who oppose his policies, particularly the move to digital procurement, to quit, county chiefs have openly rejected the push to adopt the Electronic Government Procurement (eGP) system.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the governors hit back at the directive and Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi’s insistence that all government agencies must migrate to the new platform.
The county bosses accused the Treasury of sidelining them in the rollout of the digital procurement system and dismissed claims that they were deliberately blocking reforms.
They pointed to persistent flaws in the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS), saying the same mistakes risk being repeated with the eGP.
Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi, who also serves as the chairperson of the Council of Governors, directly challenged Mbadi, arguing that the government was rushing the process without addressing basic technical challenges.
He warned against threats and intimidation, insisting that a new system must first be piloted and fine-tuned before being imposed on all counties.
“It’s not that IFMIS has no problems, and it was there for the national government before. This is a system that has been piloted. He cannot do it through threats and intimidation and not solve the issues,” Abdullahi stated.
The governors further questioned why the Treasury appeared more concerned with enforcing compliance rather than addressing functionality, insisting that the eGP rollout had to be systematic and inclusive.
They argued that without resolving loopholes, the platform could end up being more of a burden than a solution.
The county bosses also maintained that they were not against reforms but demanded a transparent, problem-solving approach rather than what they termed as heavy-handed ultimatums.
The governors argued that inadequate sensitisation and training have crippled procurement processes, especially in key sectors such as health.
They further claimed that the e-GP system, in its current form, undermines the distinct status of county governments as guaranteed in the Constitution.
“The roll-out was rushed, riddled with inconsistencies, and has disrupted service delivery in counties. Only three counties took part in the pilot, yet the system was imposed nationally without addressing the gaps identified,” they stated.
“We therefore call on the National Treasury to immediately withdraw the Circular directing the counties to implement the e-GP until proper consultations, legal alignment, and capacity-building are undertaken.”
Meanwhile, during the June budget reading, the government proposed an allocation of Ksh700 million towards the implementation of the eGP system. While presenting the 2025/2026 budget estimates before the National Assembly, he stated that the funds would specifically support the rollout of the programme.
