The Head of the Public Service Joseph Kinyua has issued new guidelines aimed at ensuring President Uhuru Kenyatta’s directive to all public entities comprising of ministries, departments, counties are adhered to.
The Head of State had earlier directed that corporations publish all awarded contracts starting July 1, 2018.
As per the executive order, all public entities are expected to publish all details of contracts awarded by them on their websites, the e-Citizen portal, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority platforms, public notice boards and official government publications.
[caption caption="Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua "]
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The guidelines came few hours after Justice Nelson Obuodha of the Labour Relations Court dismissed a petition seeking to quash the appointment of Mr Kinywa as the Head of Public Service. Petitioners through activist Okiya Omtatah moved to court opposing his appointment submitting that the office was unconstitutional.
“The court is not persuaded that the designation of the Office that Joseph Kinyua holds as Head of Public Service usurps the power of the Chairperson of Public Service Commission,” held Justice Obuodha.
In the fresh regulations, the public entities are required to publish the report of the awarded contracts not later than the 15th day of the subsequent month without fail.
“Where the 15th day of the subsequent month falls on a weekend or public holiday, the agencies are required to publish the report on or before the day immediately before the weekend or public holiday in strict compliance with the 15 days rule as set out in the executive order” stated Kinyua in a statement issued on Monday.
State House held that the new guidelines, when implemented will bring to an end the opacity and relative secrecy that typified public procurement in the past, creating avenues for corruption and underhand deals.
In line with Article 35 of the Constitution regarding Access to Information, Kenyans will now be able to easily access and interrogate information regarding specific details of public procurement including price and suppliers of goods and services.
Further, the directive seeks to entrench transparency and accountability which are core considerations in President Kenyatta's fight against corruption, inefficiency, and over-pricing of goods and services in public sector procurement.
Accordingly, Kenyans are encouraged to take advantage of the newly introduced framework that is characterised by the highest level of public scrutiny and accountability when doing business with public entities.
