CS Rotich: How EAC member states can curb corruption

Treasury Cabinet Secretary has called on East African Community (EAC) member states to deploy IT-enabled procurement systems to curb corruption.

Treasury Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Nelson Gaichuhie who opened The 11th East Africa Regional Procurement Forum (EAPF) in Nairobi on November 28, read a speech on behalf of CS Rotich who averrs that corruption must be eliminated to restore public confidence and ensure fair competition.

The conference which was held under the theme Strengthening Integrity and Accountability in Public Procurement, the CS said that adoption of e-procurement will go a long way in strengthening public procurement systems within the region, with a view to curbing graft.

“EAC member States are signatories to the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) in which one of the resolutions is for the countries to implement measures aimed at combating corruption particularly in public procurement”, said Mr Rotich.

Rotich reiterated that public procurement is a major economic activity which generates significant financial flows in the economy. As a consequence, public procurement has become one of the most vulnerable areas to corruption, fraud and bribery.

“A good procurement system is vital to effective public expenditure management and to the delivery of services to citizens on time, at the most reasonable cost, and with the best quality. Sound public procurement policies and practices are among the essential elements of good governance”, Rotich emphasised.

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His sentiments were echoed by the Director-General of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Maurice Juma, who stated that African countries are slowly moving towards e-procurement, with Rwanda being the first to digitise procurement, and many having migrated to the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS).

“For us to improve public procurement, we will need to strengthen the capacity of the agencies involved and deploy robust ICT systems to seal all the loopholes that might provide fertile breeding grounds for corruption”, Mr Juma added.

The forum discussed key issues affecting the transformation and modernization of the public procurement systems; forging a common front among East African Community member states on the value of public procurement for the promotion of good governance.

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EAC member states have committed to undertaking joint programmes and projects aimed at promoting and advancing the East African Common Market Protocol, aimed at advancing linkages that facilitate the movement of goods and services across regional borders.

The three-day event brought together about 300 participants drawn from Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. The participants comprised delegates from the public and private sectors, professional bodies, civil society and training institutions.