Mbadi hails Murang’a County for adoption of controversial electronic procurement system
By Mabonga Makhanu, October 5, 2025National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has lauded Murang’a County for its outstanding commitment to implementing the controversial electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system.
Speaking during a television interview on Saturday, October 5, 2025, Mbadi said Murang’a stood out as a model county in embracing the system despite resistance from other devolved units.
“If there was a medal to be given, Murang’a County would have taken it for its full commitment to the e-GP system,” Mbadi said.
Also watch: Murang’a Governor Kang’ata urges treasury to fast-track e-procurement, release county funds
The e-GP system, which digitises public procurement processes, has faced pushback from some county officials and procurement officers who claim it is cumbersome and prone to delays.
However, the Treasury CS maintained that most counties are now on board and are already using the platform to upload their annual procurement plans.
“Many counties have onboarded their annual procurement plans. Right from Lamu, Kilifi, Makueni, and Murang’a, they are all on the e-GP platform,” he said.
Mbadi explained that the system was not meant to complete all procurement processes at once but to create a transparent framework for planning and execution.
“When you put your annual procurement plan on the system, you don’t have to procure everything immediately. You can do it progressively, even next year. What matters is that you have onboarded the budget and are using the platform,” he clarified.
Reason for uproar
The treasury boss further revealed that the resistance witnessed during the rollout was mainly due to vested interests among some county officers who benefited from opaque manual systems.
“I came to understand why e-procurement was resisted; it disrupted the status quo. Some officers were profiting from less transparent systems, so they didn’t want to let go. They would claim the system isn’t working to avoid using it,” Mbadi said.
He emphasised that the government remains firm on ensuring full implementation of the e-GP system, noting that it is already gaining momentum across the country.
“The biggest challenge has been lack of commitment from procuring officers. But we are clear that it must be implemented, and it is rolling out very well,” he concluded.
Integrated economic planning
During the same sit-down, he also stated that the National Treasury is set to launch an ambitious joint economic planning training across all 47 counties, with Busia County chosen as the pilot site.
The exercise aims to harmonise national and county-level development plans that have, for years, operated in isolation despite sharing a common national vision.