The government has issued a tough new directive to all ministries, departments, state corporations, and unincorporated state agencies to strictly enforce the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme. The move is aimed at boosting inclusion in state contracting in line with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
The order, signed by Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix K. Koskei, comes amid persistent failure to meet the legal requirement to reserve at least 30 per cent of all government procurement for enterprises owned by women, youth, and persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Launched in 2013, AGPO is an affirmative action policy designed to enhance the economic empowerment of historically disadvantaged groups. Under the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, no single category should receive more than 50 per cent of the reserved allocation, while at least 2 per cent is earmarked for PWDs.
Koskei described AGPO as “a key driver for employment creation, promotion of local industry, and acceleration of technology transfer.” However, official figures show a wide gap between targets and reality. The Economic Survey 2023 reveals that between the 2015/16 and 2022/23 financial years, women received less than 10 per cent of total tender value, youth 6.02 per cent, and PWDs only 1.42 per cent. The overall average uptake was just 16.84 per cent barely half of the statutory threshold.
Compliance in reporting is also low, with only 44.1 per cent of procuring entities submitting complete AGPO reports to the Public Procurement Information Portal (PPIP).
To address this, the directive requires all accounting officers to integrate AGPO allocations into annual and quarterly procurement plans, with clear targets for each group. At least 2 per cent of procurement must go to PWDs. Quarterly reports with gender- and category-disaggregated data must be submitted without fail, while agencies are to roll out capacity-building programmes for AGPO-registered suppliers on bidding, contract management, and compliance.
Koskei warned that failure to meet thresholds or submit reports will attract “administrative and disciplinary action” under the Public Service Performance Management Framework and other laws.
The directive underscores the government’s intent to turn AGPO from a paper policy into a tangible driver of economic inclusion.
