pic 2

Tracking Public Procurement in Kenya

                                         Enhancing Transparency and Accountability

Public procurement in Kenya plays a vital role in national development by ensuring that government services and products are delivered efficiently and within budget. Public procurement accounts for the majority of government spending, with annual expenditures running into billions of shillings, highlighting the importance of transparency and accountability in the process. Kenya has made significant progress in improving its public procurement process in recent years, with the aim of reducing corruption, improving efficiency and building confidence in government spending.

One of the main mechanisms for monitoring public procurement in Kenya is the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA). PPRA is tasked with overseeing compliance with laws and regulations in the country and city. Through careful monitoring, the organization helps ensure that the procurement process is competitive, fair and transparent. Such oversight is particularly important because public procurement involves large amounts of money and the risk of corruption is high due to the potential for negative impact.

Kenya has also implemented the Government Procurement Information System (G-PIS), an online platform designed to provide timely information on public procurement. The system provides transparent information on the entire procurement process, including gift contracts, promotional information and payments. G-PIS plays an important role in preventing fraud by making public procurement records accessible and allowing citizens, journalists and civil society organizations to view public expenditure.

The Law on Access to Information also empowers the public to request detailed information from official institutions. The law requires the government to provide information on request, including tenders, contracts and purchases. This step aims to reduce the potential for corruption and ensure that public resources are used effectively and for their intended purpose.

Despite this progress, challenges remain. The effectiveness of the procurement process depends largely on the ability and willingness of public institutions to address deficiencies or abuses in the procurement process. For example, public institutions occasionally experience delays in updating procurement records, and some public employees continue to attempt to circumvent the system. In addition, lack of public awareness of monitoring methods limits their use and effectiveness.

In conclusion, while Kenya has made significant progress in monitoring public procurement, the success of these efforts will depend on the continued commitment of all stakeholders, including government, organizations, civil society and citizens. The continuous development and improvement of monitoring tools such as G-PIS and the continued implementation of procurement policies are essential to ensure that public procurement is transparent, accountable and beneficial to the people of Kenya.

Tags: No tags

Add a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *