A major change is set to be introduced in the procurement processes of all ministries with Cabinet Secretary (CS) Joseph Wakaba Mucheru set to oversee the purchase of ICT infrastructure.
CS Mucheru will take over ICT equipment procurement for all Government ministries and agencies as the Government moves to centralize procurement in next financial year.
The bid to create uniformity will see billions of shillings in procurement budgets move to the ICT Ministry headed by Mucheru.
[caption caption="ICT Cabinet Secretary (CS) Joseph Mucheru"]
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According to the CS: "The first mandate we have is in creating an efficient Government where we have the right tools and infrastructure in place.
"One of the first directives is that all ICT procurement goes through the Ministry of ICT," the CS revealed.
Mucheru elaborated that this will involve making decisions about the type of equipment, standards and the vendors to supply it.
"From printers to laptops, everything that is ICT-related will go through the Ministry of ICT.
"It is not even clear how much toner we use. We want to make sure that by the new fiscal year that starts in July, we centralize all procurement." the CS stated.
The ICT Ministry is allocated Ksh20 Billion in the next annual budget with the procurement of ICT services in the National Treasury allocated Ksh948 million, National Land Commission (NLC) allocated Ksh351 million for Information Management System (IMS).
On the other hand, Ministry of Devolution has been allocated Ksh25 billion for procuring ICT goods and services; funds that may soon be under the control of CS Mucheru.
Mucheru further indicated that the move will see local service providers and vendors invited to bid competitively.
[caption caption="CS Joseph Mucheru"]
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"It will be easier for you to interact with the Government to provide your services competitively and at scale and we will ensure it has local content as well," he concluded.
