Kenya To Sack Officials Over eProcurement Spat

Kenya is not fooling around when it comes to adopting digital procurement strategies within government operations. According to reports released Tuesday (May 26), President Uhuru Kenyatta has given accounting officials in various government ministries until the end of the week to either comply with eProcurement mandates, explain why they cannot do so, or risk getting sacked.

Reports said Kenyatta’s Chief of Staff Joseph Kinyua has warned officials that they must comply with the March 6 executive order that ordered all ministries to conduct their procurement through the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS). A letter dated May 22 revealed that Kinyua has given an expiration date on all ministries not using IFMIS.

“In view of this flagrant disregard for institutionalized best practice procedures for the management of public finances,” the letter reads, “you are hereby given seven dates from the date of this letter to show cause in writing to the undersigned as to why your designation as an Accounting Officer should not be withdrawn and disciplinary action commenced in accordance with Sec 74 of the Public Finance Management Act.”

The letter reportedly also states the value of procurement not conducted through IFMIS following an internal review of government procurement practices between March 20 and May 20. According to reports, independent commissions such as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, the Parliamentary Service Commission and the Auditor General are at the top of President Kinyua’s list with 100 percent non-compliance rate with the eProcurement directive.

While digital procurement practices among governments can save taxpayer money, researchers have also found the process to lead to greater transparency of federal use of funding. Last March, Uhuru launched an Executive Order that slammed officials for the “outright theft and blatant breaches of ethical standards” by state and public officials with regards to their procurement practices. The letter aimed to reduce corruption, reports said.

President Kinyua’s stern warning to officials follows the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission’s recent recommendation that two Cabinet Secretaries be prosecuted for abusing their positions.