Economy

Treasury moves to lock corrupt cartels out of Ifmis system

treasury

The National Treasury building in Nairobi. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU | NMG

The National Treasury has announced new tools in the Integrated Financial Management System (Ifmis) to enable suppliers lodge and monitor claims for tender payments remotely, removing human interaction with State officials who have in the past been on the spot for demanding bribes to facilitate payments.

The upgraded features which come into force on February 14 will allow suppliers to receive purchase orders generated from Ifmis via email as well as submit invoices and track their payment status through a government portal.

This is expected to weed out fraudsters in payment of tenders who often exploit suppliers in the guise of facilitating payments at various government offices.

Ifmis is the nerve centre that is meant to enhance efficiency in planning, budgeting, procurement, expenditure and reporting in the national and county governments.

“The solution will enhance efficiency in the delivery and payment process as suppliers will not need to physically collect or deliver documents at the Procuring Entity,” said Treasury PS Julius Muia in an interview with the Business Daily.

“The solution will increase accountability with government officers as it will be easy for the senior management to generate reports on aging invoices based on when the suppliers submitted them.”

Ifmis was created to provide audit trails of all financial transactions with details of the person who logged in, the time, the computer used and the action performed to end graft in government contracts.

Technology tool

It is the technology tool through which government monitors the national finances, from planning through budgeting to procurement, payment, accounting and reporting.

However, it has been at the centre of corruption claims in some of the largest graft syndicates to hit Kenya both at the national and county levels over the years leading to mounting questions over its safeguards in guaranteeing accountability.

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