Kirinyaga County Government has emerged number three in procurement regulations compliance.
The Public Procurement Regulations Authority (PPRA)’s assessment report for 2017/2018 financial year ranked the county third with 65.5 percent, coming after Nyeri and Mandera counties that scored 75 percent and 67 percent respectively.
The achievement comes a week after Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) awarded the county for being the best tax compliant that remitted all the revenue collected.
Earlier this week, the World Bank also commended the County for prudent utilization of Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP) grant that was used for infrastructural projects.
The county’s Kerugoya/Kutus was among the only seven municipalities, out of 59, that qualified for a second round grant, having met the minimum grant conditions that were dependent on the 1st round grant performance.
In line with President’s Executive Order No.3 of 2018 on ‘Procurement of Public Goods, Works and Services by Public Entities’ all County must adhere to Constitutional Principles of Chapter 12 on Public Financial Management, and in Particular Art. 201 and 227 that emphasizes integrity, prudent use of financial resources, and fair, equitable, competitive and cost effective procurement.
Further, The Executive Order required all Government Entities and Public Owned institutions to: Publish full details of tenders and awards from the 1st of July 2018. The publication will allow members of the public to access the information – which information shall include the items or services purchased, contract prices, and the particulars of the suppliers including owners, directors and beneficial ownership.
From the 1st of January 2019, all public procurement was undertaken through the Electronic platform of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS).
Accounting Officers were also required to take personal responsibility for all procurements in their agencies, and were to be held personally accountable for all public resources under their charge.
Pursuant to the above orders, Governor Anne Waiguru, appreciated the directive and was on the frontline to ensure that the County Government is fully compliant with the Executive Order.
Further, the Governor appreciated the hard work that went into observing the fundamental principles of procurement which include, transparency, integrity, accountability, economy, fairness and competitiveness.
She said that her County is on the path to scoring even higher when it comes to prudence utilization of public funds to ensure that Kirinyaga residents get value for every shilling they get.
The Governor said that the achievement was the result of continuous adherence to the procurement regulations which begin with preparation and approval of a procurement plan all through to tendering processes, delivery of goods and services and finally Monitoring and Evaluation to ensure value for money.
The county has also been keeping procurement records in accordance with Section 68 of Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act (PPADA).
The Procurement Department also carried out Public Awareness Campaigns to sensitize the people on the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme that provides 30 per cent of government procurement opportunities for women, youth and people with disabilities.
Governor Waiguru reiterated her commitment to offering accountable and transparent leadership that will leave a positive impact on the County residents. She thanked her team for the good work and challenged them to work even harder.
By Irungu Mwangi
