Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has stood firmly to his choice that the government will not back off the newly introduced electronic procurement system, arguing that this is the right weapon in the war against corruption.
His statement was preceded by the Council of Governors (CoG) emphasis on the fact that the system was not working as expected and had become a barrier to county operations, for instance, the unlocking of health facilities with medicine, a probable example of essential commodities procurement.
At the Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) meeting held on Monday, the CoG chairperson explained that the governors were not antagonistic towards the automation of procurement; however, they pinpointed technical troubles as the main drawback of operations.
Kindiki, however made it clear that the electronic platform for procurement was not a passing story, appealed to county governments to be on board with the endeavor, and asked for the clearing of the KSh 720 billion worth of bills to be done without delay.
The Minister of Health Aden Duale, who also participated in the meeting, defended the government’s shift from the Linda Mama programme to Inua Jamii, reiterating that the reforms are directed towards strengthening social protection and the health care system for the vulnerable groups.
The impasse at point depicts the underlying differences between the national and county governments as Kenya forges ahead with digital
