Hon. Mustafa Abdirashid Ahmed MCA Iftin and current Deputy Speaker of Garissa County Assembly./COURTESY
For decades, Kenya’s governance has been plagued by a disease that refuses to go away; corruption. Counties, and other government entities entrusted with billions meant to bring services closer to the people, have become hotbeds of wastage, nepotism, and inflated contracts.
The symptoms are visible everywhere; white elephant projects, stalled roads, half-built hospitals, and ghost suppliers. The illness is systemic, eating away at the trust between leaders and citizens. But today, there is a cure on the table.
The treasury’s introduction and the President’s affirmation on e-procurement is not just another bureaucratic order; it is a prescription designed to heal the deep-seated malady of corruption and inefficiency in county governments and other government entities.
E-procurement, at its core, is the digitization of the entire procurement process. Instead of paperwork shuffled between offices and hidden drawers, everything moves to an online platform that records every step. This digital cure works by limiting human interference, reducing discretion, and creating a transparent trail that can be audited at any moment.
For a country where procurement scandals have drained the public purse dry, this system offers a chance to disinfect the process and make it cleaner, fairer, and accountable.
The cure is timely. For years, counties have been accused of awarding tenders based on family ties, tribal allegiances, or political favors rather than merit.
The results are painfully clear; roads that collapse after a single rainy season, health facilities without medicine, and inflated projects whose costs triple the market price.
E-procurement, by automating supplier registration, tendering, and contract management, acts as a vaccine against favoritism and nepotism. It ensures that all suppliers compete on equal terms, and the winners are judged on merit, not connections.
Some governors have resisted this directive, arguing that it erodes their autonomy. But clinging to manual procurement is like refusing life-saving treatment because one fears the injection needle. The truth is, opposition often comes from those who benefit from the rot.
E-procurement threatens entrenched networks of cartels and kickbacks, and that is why it faces pushback. Yet, for governors who genuinely care about their legacy and the well-being of their counties, supporting this digital cure should be a priority.
They will be remembered not for clinging to corrupt systems but for embracing reform that brought value to the people. Beyond transparency, e-procurement offers efficiency. Procurement delays are a common excuse for stalled county projects, with files lost, misplaced, or deliberately hidden. Digitization eliminates these bottlenecks by making information accessible in real time.
Payments can be tracked, contracts monitored, and project timelines enforced without endless excuses. In medical terms, the system boosts the immune response of governance, it makes the counties quicker, more resilient, and better equipped to deliver services to citizens.
One of the most stubborn strains of corruption has been price inflation. The government routinely purchase goods and services at double or triple the standard rates. E-procurement introduces a treatment plan for this; automated benchmarking and digital records expose outliers that indicate overpricing.
A road project cannot be quoted at fifty million when the market cost is twenty million, because the system makes such irregularities visible. This addresses the epidemic of white elephant projects that swallow billions yet remain unfinished or useless.
With e-procurement, money follows a clean bloodstream, reaching where it is needed most; schools, hospitals, water projects, and infrastructure that improves daily lives. Of course, no cure is without side effects. Critics point out that digital systems can also be hacked or manipulated by insiders.
This is a valid concern, but it is not a reason to abandon the cure. Instead, it is a call to strengthen it with cybersecurity measures, robust oversight, and strict penalties for abuse.
Technology itself is neutral, what matters is how it is managed. If properly implemented, e-procurement can drastically reduce the risks while amplifying the benefits. Perhaps the greatest strength of this digital cure is that it empowers citizens.
Every transaction leaves a trail, and that trail can be followed. Civil society, oversight bodies, and the media gain the ability to monitor public spending in real time. Citizens no longer have to accept vague answers when projects stall; they can demand accountability backed by evidence. This transparency builds trust and reshapes the relationship between government and the citizens.
Kenya is at a critical juncture. One path leads to continued illness; counties drained by corruption, leaders distrusted by citizens, and development forever compromised. The other path, illuminated by technology, offers a cure. It promises accountability, efficiency, and fairness in public spending.
The president’s directive on e-procurement is not a suggestion; it is a treatment plan that counties and other government entities must accept if they are to heal.
The world has moved to technology, and Kenya cannot afford to lag behind. Counties that resist e-procurement are choosing corruption over progress, illness over cure. But for those who embrace it, the benefits will be long-lasting; healthier finances, stronger governance, and a legacy of integrity.
E-procurement is not just a system; it is the digital cure for corruption in its entirety. The time to take the prescription is now. Embrace.
