Treasury Cabinet Secretary (CS) John Mbadi has revealed that some government officials are uneasy with the transition to a fully digital procurement platform, citing its uncompromising transparency and accountability measures.
Speaking during a media interview on Thursday, Mbadi said the e-procurement system has been deliberately designed to seal loopholes that have long enabled corruption, manipulation, and irregular tendering in government contracts.
According to the CS, the new system has robust safeguards that make it impossible to tamper with records once they are uploaded. Unlike the manual paper-based system, where documents could be altered, hidden, or even destroyed, the e-platform automatically locks submitted information, ensuring that every transaction is traceable.
“All the information that will be required for the tender will be uploaded to the system. The way the system is designed, you cannot delete a document, you cannot amend. If you make a mistake, for example, putting the price where the quantity should be, you will have to reject the whole transaction and start afresh,” Mbadi explained.
He noted that this high level of traceability is what has left some officials uncomfortable. In the past, procurement documents could conveniently “disappear,” making accountability nearly impossible during disputes or investigations. Now, however, once a certificate or compliance document is uploaded, it becomes permanently visible and verifiable, leaving no room for alterations.
“Unlike a paper which you can pluck away, in this system, once I put in, say, my NCA certificate, if it’s Grade 6 while the requirement was Grade 3, the system will not allow you to proceed because it is visible to everyone,” he added.
Mbadi insisted that the discomfort proves the reforms are effective. He further dismissed claims that the government had revoked the circular mandating e-procurement. Speaking during the Development Partnership Forum, he clarified that Parliament has not overturned the directive.
“There has been contention that e-procurement was revoked. Let me be clear: Parliament has not revoked anything. If any government officer is going to use that as an excuse, I will not accept it,” Mbadi said, affirming that the country will not revert to manual procurement.
