Kenya's ambitious plan to digitise public procurement through a nationwide system has hit turbulence, with political tensions between the presidency and county governments threatening to derail its rollout.
The Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) platform – designed to digitise the entire procurement chain from tender announcements, bid submissions, and contract awards to supplier performance tracking – is a flagship initiative of president William Ruto’s administration.
Officials have touted the system as a technological game-changer that could increase efficiency, enhance transparency, and significantly reduce opportunities for corruption in one of the government’s most opaque sectors.
Yet implementation has been stalled by mounting opposition. In August, the National Assembly revoked a Treasury circular mandating all procuring entities to migrate fully to the digital system, citing inadequate parliamentary oversight and limited public participation.
Now, county leaders, operating under the Council of Governors (CoG), are pushing back against what they describe as a ‘hasty and inconsistent’ rollout.
They argue that only three counties participated in the pilot programme, yet the Treasury rushed to scale the platform nationally without addressing critical technical gaps, training, and legal frameworks.
“The Council of Governors calls on the National Treasury to withdraw the directive and allow proper consultations, legal alignment, and capacity-building before rollout,” said CoG chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi, who is also governor of Wajir County.
“Counties cannot be paralysed by rushed directives, particularly in sectors such as health where procurement delays can cost lives.”
Abdullahi has said that CoG is not against the digitalisation process, but that in addition to consultations, time and resources are required to ensure the rollout succeeds.
The fallout escalated further this week after Ruto publicly criticised governors during a church service in Siaya County.
“There’s no going back,” he said. “We are going to implement e-procurement. Any official who is not ready to work with us can as well look for other jobs.”
The president’s combative tone underscores the administration’s determination to digitise procurement, a sector long plagued by graft scandals.
The Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) estimates that up to a third of Kenya’s development budget has historically been lost to corruption, fraud, and inefficiencies in tendering processes.
Globally, e-procurement has proven transformative in improving governance. Countries such as South Korea and Brazil, early adopters of digital tendering systems, reported billions in savings and increased investor confidence.
The World Bank has repeatedly advised developing nations to adopt e-GP platforms as part of broader govtech reforms to enhance accountability and reduce bureaucratic leakages.
However, Kenya’s e-GP implementation has become deeply entangled with politics. Analysts say the standoff reflects broader tensions between the central government and devolved county administrations over resource control and autonomy.
The CoG has threatened legal action against the Treasury, arguing that the rollout violates constitutional principles of devolution.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders accuse the government of bypassing consultation and using digital transformation initiatives as political tools rather than service delivery enablers.
The crisis adds to a growing list of challenges faced by president Ruto since assuming office in 2022. His administration has been rocked by youth-led protests over unpopular tax policies, the collapse of his signature Hustler Fund initiative, and the impeachment of his deputy Rigathi Gachagua.
Critics warn that mishandling the e-GP rollout risks not only undermining public trust in digitisation but also stalling Kenya’s broader digital transformation agenda.
Despite the political headwinds, ICT experts insist the long-term benefits of e-procurement are undeniable.
Properly implemented, the system could digitally authenticate suppliers, automate workflows, enable real-time monitoring, and integrate with national payment platforms, creating end-to-end transparency.
Local experts believe Kenya has the technical capability to make e-GP a success, but the challenge lies in stakeholder buy-in, change management, and building trust that technology will not be weaponised for political control.
For now, the standoff remains unresolved. The Council of Governors has scheduled an extraordinary meeting to determine its next steps, while Treasury insists it will proceed with digitisation in phases.
As Kenya balances its political contestations with the need for technological reform, the e-GP system stands as both a litmus test of the government’s commitment to digital governance and a reminder of the complexities of implementing disruptive technologies in politically charged environments.
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