State tenders listed online increase to Sh80 billion

The number of tenders published online by State corporations and agencies in line with a presidential directive has increased by 20 per cent in a fortnight after Deputy President William Ruto warned of stiff sanctions on non-compliant firms.

The online portal, which was established last July, listed 10,937 tenders worth Sh80.21 billion that were awarded to 5,937 registered suppliers as at Tuesday, a spot-check by the Business Daily revealed.

The check, however, shows that most agencies controlling multi-billion shilling State contracts continue to defy President Uhuru Kenyatta’s June order and that of his deputy to publicly release details of the multi-billion shilling tenders through the designated public procurement website to curb graft.

The latest figures represent a jump of 1,901 new listings compared to the 9,036 tenders that had been listed on January 28 arising from 1,981 contracts worth Sh66.66 billion. Mr Ruto, on January 28, directed the Treasury to submit a list of all public bodies that have defied the government order on tender disclosure to the Head of Public Service within 30 days. He said that all public entities that do not publish information on beneficiaries of government tenders would face sanctions including freezing or scaling down budgetary allocation.

“You need to disclose who is doing business with the government to the public for the purposes of accountability. It is not a request but a demand that all public bodies publish the details,” Mr Ruto said. President Kenyatta had earlier said that publication of the tenders would allow the public to scrutinise the deals, including the quality and amounts of goods and services bought as well as the cost and identity of suppliers. Information on the portal should include the basis of awarding tenders, parameters of assessment, names and details of tender committee members, bidders as well as the value of each contract.

Mid last year Head of Public Service Joseph Kinyua asked accounting officers in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) to consolidate and publish tender information on the 15th of every month.

Mr Kinyua said information on the portal should include the basis of awarding the tenders, parameters of assessment, names and details of tender committee members as well as the value of each contract.

Kenya may be losing a third of its annual Budget — about Sh666 billion — to theft and wastage, according to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission.