NAIROBI, Kenya – Government officers who bypass Kenya’s new electronic procurement platform risk hefty fines and personal liability for payments they authorise, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) has warned.
In a circular dated August 12, 2025, PPRA said some national and county government officials have continued to procure goods and services outside the Electronic Government Procurement System (E-GPS) despite its mandatory adoption from July 1.
Others, the watchdog revealed, have been backdating procurement records to make them appear compliant.
“It has… come to the attention of the authority that some procuring entities have continued to procure goods and services outside the E-GPS platform while others have resorted to… backdating procurement proceedings to pre-June 30, 2025,” the notice reads.
PPRA Director-General Patrick Wanjuki stressed that approving payments outside the system is illegal and warned that culpable officers will be personally surcharged.
“Effective July 1, 2025, all public procurement and asset disposal transactions should be conducted through the E-GPS; any procurements done outside the system and paid for shall be surcharged on the officer who authorised the transaction,” Wanjuki stated.
Under the law, offenders face fines of up to KSh4 million, in addition to covering the cost of any irregular payments.
The E-GPS was rolled out to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in government procurement, replacing the Public Procurement Information Portal (PPIP) for posting tenders.
PPRA has directed all public entities to cease listing new tenders on PPIP and process all procurement exclusively via the E-GPS.
The move follows a broader government push to seal corruption loopholes in public spending, with the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) recently granted full access to monitor the system.
