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Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has reiterated that the government will fully enforce e-procurement, insisting that the directive remains in place and has not been revoked.
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Speaking at the Development Partnership Forum on Thursday, Mbadi dismissed claims that the Treasury circular requiring the use of the digital system had been withdrawn, warning that public officers cannot use such arguments to avoid compliance.
“There is no revocation by Parliament. Any officer using that as an excuse is simply wrong. The circular is valid and binding,” he said.
He explained that the directive, just like others on zero-based budgeting and the Treasury Single Account, is a legally recognized reform aimed at boosting accountability and efficiency in public finance management.
Addressing concerns that Parliament was challenging the move, Mbadi clarified that Treasury circulars do not require legislative approval and that MPs had in fact endorsed his commitment to roll out e-procurement during his vetting.
“The Constitution mandates the Treasury to design and oversee procurement and accounting systems. Nothing unconstitutional has been done, and nothing has been repealed,” he emphasized.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who was also present, backed Mbadi’s position, saying the government would not revert to manual procurement despite the difficulties some counties and state offices are experiencing.
“These challenges must be addressed, but we will not go back to manual processes,” Kindiki affirmed.
The strong stand by Treasury follows reports of a rift in Parliament over the mandatory rollout of e-procurement across government institutions.
