Salasya sends warning to CS Mbadi over new tender system
By Cynthia Lodite, August 26, 2025Mumias East Member of Parliament Peter Salasya has called out Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi for overpushing the new electronic procurement system (e-GPS) set to run all the government tenders.
On his part, the legislator compared the rollout of e-GPS to the implementation of the Social Health Authority (SHA), which he claims disrupted a previously well-functioning healthcare system.
The Mumias East MP made his remarks on Monday, August 25, 2025, on his official X account following the new implementation of the system, which was previously tabled in the National Assembly.
“They forced SHA, and SHA has killed the well-organized healthcare system; now they are going for procurement. They want to micromanage everything, but they can’t handle the challenges that come with it, Salaysa wrote.
Likewise, Salaysa added that the e-GPS system, which was previously rejected by Parliament, was declined on the basis of poor internet connectivity in many parts of the country, also citing a lack of proper user training.
“We dropped EPG on the grounds that not every part of this country is connected with the Internet and there is a lack of proper training and understanding of the system by users, but they are again forcing it without going through the parliament. This time the parliament is very clear it won’t be used as a rubberstamp of the executive,” Salasya said.
Launching e-GPS
Worth noting, the Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi launched the e-GPS system on April 7, 2025, intending to boost accountability, efficiency, and value for money in government procurement.
The platform was designed to enhance transparency, fairness, and competitiveness, aligning with directives from President William Ruto’s November 2024 State of the Nation Address, which called for a full rollout by the first quarter of 2025.
Parliament decision on e-GPS
Following the inception, the National Assembly struck down a Treasury directive that sought to make the electronic Government Procurement System (e-GPS) the sole method for processing government tenders, ruling the move unconstitutional and beyond legal authority.
On Tuesday, August 19, 2025, MPs approved the adoption of the Committee on Delegated Legislation report, fully withdrawing Public Procurement Regulatory Authority Circular No. 04/2025. The motion, seconded by Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, was approved unanimously.
“The Circular is in contravention of sections 9 and 77 of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, Cap. 412C, relating to the function of the Authority, which do not extend to creating binding obligations and the recognition that tender submissions may be made in either manual or electronic form, and contravention of sections 2, 6, 11, 13, 22, and 24 of the Statutory Instruments Act, Cap 2A, relating to interpretation of a statutory instrument, submission of a regulatory impact statement on each statutory instrument, requirement for publication and tabling of a statutory instrument before Parliament, and exercise of powers in making statutory instruments,” the committee stated.