Step up national dialogue on public tender graft

National dialogue is slowly becoming a popular tool for structural reforms and political settlement around the globe. They are usually broader, inclusive societal consultations aimed at channelling concerns and demands into processes and enhancing legitimacy and ownership of outcomes.

This year’s supply chain management national dialogue by the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM) in partnership with the Treasury and the Public Procurement Review Authority (PPRA) targets a transformation tied to ethics while coping up with the dynamic global environment.

Professional standing requires a level of conduct that adds value to the service provision. Integrity standards are core elements of professionalism since they influence behaviour and create a culture of compliance.

Anti-graft war

But laws alone cannot cure all challenges. Morality, which is a personal choice and usually inculcated right from birth, is most often a combination of various factors, including religion, education system and peers.

The failure of public procurement in Africa has been attributed to factors such as weak anti-graft war, ineffective implementation of reforms, lack of transparency in contract award, and lack of accountability in use of public funds.

According to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in 2019/2020, the agency forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecutions 163 files on corruption, economic crimes and ethical breaches.

In the same period, public assets valued at about Sh12.1 billion were recovered and 14 applications processed to preserve assets valued at approximately Sh9.3 billion.

Eighty-eight illegally acquired public assets valued at about Sh25.3 billion were traced and recovered. In addition, 31 proactive covert investigations were conducted, averting possible loss of Sh10 billion.

The Treasury through the 2021 Budget proposed procurement reforms such as automation of processes by end of the year.

Others include decentralisation of ICT equipment and services to ministries, departments and agencies to facilitate access by micro, small and medium enterprises.

Code of ethics

It also proposed temporarily stopping capitation to counties that persistently fail to clear pending bills as directed.

KISM is doing well on interventions that professionalise the supply chain function. The supplies body this year developed Disciplinary Policy, Disciplinary Guidelines and Standard Code of Ethics.

The role of national dialogue in bringing sanity into the profession cannot be over-emphasized.

An effective national dialogue considers a broad set of stakeholders with the goal of knowing what key interest groups think about the profession.

The dialogue will provide a platform for participants across the country and beyond to underscore the role of procurement and supply chain practices, focusing on transformation.

It will pitch for excellence in public and private procurement to improve service delivery.

National interest

This is intended to result in a paradigm shift from the “business as usual” to “thinking national interest,” an endeavour to be cascaded to the counties, sub-counties, constituencies, and the grassroots.

During Senegal’s 2008/9 national dialogue, outreach teams consulted in each of Senegal’s governorates and also engaged the diaspora in France, the United States, and Canada.

For public consultations, it is also important that the members of the national dialogue to have the capacity to report and analyse the outcomes.

The slow judicial processes, weak legal and policy framework for implementing Chapter Six of the Constitution on areas such as integrity verification for persons seeking appointment or seats in public elections, and the politicisation of fight against corruption are the main barriers to the fight against graft.

For a true transformation, the nation ought to dialogue.

Otieno Panya, lecturer and researcher at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology