Governors push back on e-procurement rollout, cite system failures and legal gaps

Wajir Governor and Council of Governors chairperson Ahmed Abdullahi has maintained that county leaders are not against the National Treasury’s e-procurement system but insist it must be properly tested and aligned with the law before being rolled out.

Speaking during a TV interview on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, Abdullahi said governors welcome any system that enhances accountability and automation in public procurement, but the current digital platform is riddled with flaws that have stalled service delivery.

“We have no problem with any system that enhances accountability or automates processes. All we are saying is that it must be aligned with the law. When a system has problems, it shouldn’t be seen as a weakness to say there is a problem and postpone it for a few months or whatever time we need to fix the problem,” Abdullahi said.

He faulted Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi for directing counties to migrate to the system, warning that such proclamations cannot override county governments’ constitutional mandate to deliver services.

“We do accept that even with respect to the functions that we carry out, the standardization is with the government. However, the implementation of those functions is with us. The attempt to standardize should not impede our ability to implement,” he stated.

Abdullahi added that the National Assembly had annulled the circular enforcing e-procurement, yet the Treasury continued to threaten counties with funding cuts if they failed to comply.

“Secondly, when you want to do something like that, it is good to align it with the law. The National Assembly has annulled the circular, yet the CS insists he is going to deny us funds on account of a circular. His circular is not superior to Article 60 of the Constitution; we are separate and distinct governments,” he said.

He argued that the directive was rushed without proper piloting, consultation, or training, and had left counties paralysed.

“We have asked the Cabinet Secretary to withdraw the circular, and it has not been withdrawn yet; we are frozen in every aspect; we cannot procure, and it is gridlocking service delivery,” he said.

Abdullahi further disclosed that the system had been piloted in Busia, Elgeyo-Marakwet, and Makueni, but all the counties reported failures.
“It was piloted in the three counties of Busia, Elgeyo-Marakwet, and Makueni, but yesterday, we spoke to the governors who said it is not working in any of those counties,” he noted.

“In the process of piloting, it developed problems which needed troubleshooting so that it could run, but it didn’t work, and before we knew it, we were told that everybody must be on it,” he added.

According to Abdullahi, the system is plagued by inadequate training, technical hitches, and wider integration problems, especially with the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS).

He urged the Treasury to address these challenges, allow a successful pilot, and provide a parallel run with the old system until the digital platform is reliable.

“When you are setting up a new system, you have to pilot it, and the pilot has to run successfully. You also need to have a safety valve by allowing people a parallel run, so that if the system crashes, they are still able to use the old system,” he explained.

The National Treasury’s directive is aimed at standardizing and digitizing all tender processes, including advertisements, submissions, evaluations, and contract awards, in a bid to boost transparency, efficiency, and fairness.

Supporters of the initiative argue it will curb corruption and cut administrative costs.

Governors, however, insist that the platform must first be fixed and supported by law, otherwise it risks crippling counties instead of enhancing accountability.