A new report released by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has placed several state agencies in the spotlight over tendering irregularities during the 2019/2020 financial year
The official procurement watchdog detailed how various government ministries, departments, and agencies defied orders by the Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua to publish tender information, on the 15th of every month.
Some of the state agencies and parastatals which have defied the order were listed as: the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), the National Youth Service (NYS), the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (Kephis), and the Kenya National Examination Council (Knec).
PPRA reported that this disregard of the directive has ended up undermining efforts to expose shadowy contractors and curtail corruption.
"As at June 30, 2020, only 433 procuring entities had been registered in the Portal,"
"All other procuring entities have not applied for registration in the Portal and thus not publishing the required information in compliance with Section 138 of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015 and the Executive Order No. 2 of 2018.
The information on the stipulated portal is supposed to include the basis of awarding the tenders, parameters of assessment, names, and details of tender committee members as well as the value of each contract.
The review shows that an estimated 43 percent of the ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) are yet to comply with the executive order.
Similarly, the issue of non-compliance was recorded among the 53 public universities, colleges, and technical institutions around the country.
The listed non-compliant education institutions included the Technical University of Kenya, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, Kisii University, and Maasai Mara University.
Notably, public water companies were listed as the biggest defaulters, with a non-compliance rate of 86 percent, with Nairobi City Water & Sewerage Company Ltd the only compliant institution in the category.
To encourage Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to participate in Public Procurement, the Government in 2013, set aside 30 percent of all Government procurement specifically for the Youth, Women, and Persons with Disabilities.
However, government officials have been found to collude with shadowy suppliers and contractors to channel lucrative government contracts to a select group of connected individuals.
Public procurement in Kenya continues to be marred by corruption scandals and losses amounting to billions of shillings.
Cases of procurement malpractice including Anglo Leasing, the National Hospital Insurance Fund civil servants’ medical cover scheme, IEBC BVR kits, the NSSF Tassia estate scandal, the Standard Gauge Railway, Kemsa supplies scandal are among those that have dominated the media and public discourse.
Govt Strikes Final Deal With Doctors Ending Strike Breaking News
