Business people in Taita Taveta County are being trained on a new digital public procurement platform as the government rolls out the Electronic Government Procurement (E-GP) System, a move expected to transform how suppliers and contractors do business with public institutions.
The two-day training, which took place at Taita Taveta National Polytechnic in Voi, brought together suppliers, contractors and government stakeholders to build capacity on the use of the E-GP system. The training targeted about 350 suppliers across the county.
The E-GP system is an online platform designed to automate and streamline the entire public procurement process. It covers end-to-end digital procurement, from supplier registration and procurement planning to tendering, contract management and invoicing. The system also offers real-time tracking and reporting, increased transparency through open and accessible procurement data, faster and more cost-effective processes by eliminating paperwork, and equal opportunities for suppliers by ensuring fair competition. It is also integrated with other government systems to allow verification and validation of data.
Speaking during the training, Patrick Munene, the Team Leader for the Kenya National Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) in Taita Taveta County, said the exercise was aimed at ensuring suppliers fully understand how to operate within the new system.
“We are here so that any supplier who has not been approved can be approved and for those who have not registered we help them so that they can also register,” said Munene.
He explained that the training focuses on practical aspects of the system, including how suppliers can register, respond to tender documents, submit bills and invoices, and follow up on payments.
Munene noted that the introduction of the E-GP system marks a major shift in how government procurement is handled, saying that while suppliers previously registered and transacted mainly through IFMIS, the new requirements demand that suppliers be registered on both IFMIS and the E-GP platform to qualify for government business.
“Whoever wants to do business with the government must register afresh. If you are outside the E-GP, you cannot do business with the government,” he said.
He emphasized that the E-GP system is designed to enhance transparency and accountability in public procurement. According to Munene, once tenders are opened, suppliers can easily see who has been awarded contracts, the value of those contracts, and which suppliers have been awarded tenders within a particular county, all through the online portal.
He further explained that the system was introduced to address limitations in the earlier platforms. “At the beginning, IFMIS was not for procurement. E-GP is now about procurement right from stage A to the last stage which is end-to-end,” he said.
Munene added that unlike the previous arrangement where suppliers were required to submit both physical documents and online forms, the E-GP system is fully digital, significantly reducing paperwork and easing the workload for both suppliers and procurement officers.
Andrew Mwamburi, the Chair of KNCCI Taita Taveta Chapter, said the training was organized in partnership with the National Treasury and Economic Planning to ensure business people are adequately informed about the new procurement framework.
He said the evolution of procurement systems has been gradual, starting with manual paperwork, then moving to IFMIS which still required a mix of physical and electronic submissions, and now to the fully online E-GP system.
Mwamburi said that one of the key advantages of the new platform is that suppliers can apply for tenders from anywhere in the country without having to travel physically to the procuring entity.
“Advantage of this new system is that you can apply the job anywhere in the country without physically going to where the job is,” he said.
He noted that this shift will significantly reduce the costs previously incurred by suppliers when applying for government tenders, including travel, printing and other logistical expenses. According to Mwamburi, if the system is properly followed and implemented, it will bring immense benefits to business people, especially small and medium enterprises.
Mwamburi also pointed out that the E-GP system has strong safeguards against corruption. He said that under the old paper-based systems, there were opportunities for collusion and manipulation, as officials could easily interfere with documents or favor certain applicants.
“Through this system which has various stages of application, it is very hard for corruption to take place because approval is done in different stages as one progresses in application of tenders,” he said.
Suppliers attending the training welcomed the move, expressing cautious optimism that the new system would address long-standing challenges in public procurement. Zablon Mwanyumba, a supplier and contractor from Taita Taveta County, said the training had given him hope that doing business with the government could become smoother and more predictable.
He urged the government to remain committed to the E-GP system and ensure it works as intended.
“We have already suffered with IFMIS. Pending bills are there and we urged the government that through E-GP, suppliers should not continue to suffer and if what we are being told will be upheld, there will be seamless operations and suppliers and contractors will begin to enjoy,” said Mwanyumba.
With the government pushing for full digitization of procurement, the success of the E-GP system is expected to play a critical role in improving efficiency, transparency and trust in public procurement across the country.
