New procurement system yet to award a single tender 4 months after launch
Four months after it was launched, the new electronic government procurement (e-GP) system has not awarded any contract to a government agency.
This is even as the Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi expressed confidence over the rollout and that it was gaining traction across the country, with 15 County Assemblies and 12 County Executives fully on-boarded, while the remaining counties were in the final stages of integration.
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“The progress so far is impressive. The eGP system will transform how government entities procure goods and services by sealing loopholes that have for long enabled waste and corruption,” he stated.
But now, there are fears that the government may fail or be late in awarding tenders for critical goods and services due to the delay in implementing the system.
A K24 digital pilot visit to the e-GP website shows that a single contract has been signed as of July 2025, when the National Treasury introduced the system in accordance with the presidential directive.
The e-GP website shows that by Tuesday, October 21, 2025, 402 tenders have been uploaded in the system, 1477 procurement entities (PEs) listed and 24947 suppliers registered. However no single tender has been awarded or a contract signed using the system.
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Due to technical hitches, reports indicate that some governemt agencies, especially those in the roads sector have been allowed to revert to manual procurement.
In early October 2025, the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) advertised a nationwide tender notice for the tarmacking and upgrading of hundreds of rural roads outside the e-GP.
In an official notice dated October 7, 2025, the agency listed dozens of projects in every county, most of which are to be upgraded to bitumen standards.
“This is to bring to the attention of eligible and interested Contractors that Invitation Notices for tenders funded under various votes shall be uploaded on the Authority’s (KeRRA) website,” the notice reads.
The system that is hailed as the one to end corruption in procurement processes, has faced opposition from within with County Governments moving to court to stop its implementation.
In September 2025, the high court suspended the mandatory use of the e-procurement system for counties and other public entities, ruling that both manual and electronic systems can be used.
The court issued conservatory orders after the Council of Governors (CoG) and others sued, arguing the system lacked a legal basis and was implemented without proper consultation, which disrupted services.
Counties have since reverted to manual procurement, with CoG chairman Ahmed Abdullahi saying developed units are now able to secure goods and services smoothly.
At the same time, a parliamentary committee also dealt a blow to the e-GP after it recommended the house moves to nullify regulations and Treasury Circulars on the system saying they violate article 227 of the Constitution and section 77(1) of the Public Procurement and Disposal Act.
