Small and medium-sized businesses will gain easier access to government tenders as the National Treasury, in partnership with the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), rolls out a nationwide training programme on the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system across 28 counties.
The capacity-building exercise, which kicks off next week on February 9, is aimed at demystifying the digital procurement platform and boosting supplier participation in public tenders as the government accelerates the shift to paperless procurement.
The e-GP system officially went live on July 1, 2025, for both national and county governments. Since then, more than 33,000 suppliers have registered on the platform, with 348 tenders already opened and evaluated electronically, a sign of growing adoption but also of the scale of opportunity still untapped.
Speaking during the KNCCI Annual General Meeting, Principal Secretary for Public Investments and Assets Management Cyrell Wagunda Odede said supplier readiness remains the backbone of the system’s success.
“The success of the e-Government Procurement system depends on active and informed supplier participation. While progress has been made, continuous training is necessary to ensure suppliers can register, bid and manage contracts effectively within the new digital framework,” Wagunda said.
He noted that many businesses, particularly MSMEs, still struggle with technical processes such as registration, bid submission and contract management, gaps the new training programme seeks to close.
Through the partnership with KNCCI, the Treasury hopes to reach suppliers at the grassroots level using structured, in-person sessions that address real challenges businesses face when engaging government systems.
KNCCI President Dr Erick Rutto said the Chamber will leverage its nationwide footprint to position businesses for fair competition in public procurement.
“KNCCI is positioning itself as the bridge between government digital systems and supplier preparedness. Through this programme, we are ensuring that businesses, especially MSMEs, can compete fairly, transparently and efficiently for government tenders,” Rutto said.
Participants
The training will cover key modules including supplier registration, the e-bidding process, electronic bid security guarantees and e-contract management. Both registered suppliers and those yet to sign up on the platform will be targeted.
Each county will host around 200 participants, with the programme organised into seven regional clusters and rolled out over two weeks. Counties will host two days of training combining presentations, live system demonstrations and one-on-one support.
Rutto urged suppliers to take advantage of the opportunity, noting that public procurement remains one of the biggest revenue streams for local businesses.
“Participation will not only improve compliance, but also expand access to public procurement opportunities and strengthen business sustainability,” he said.
The Treasury and KNCCI say strengthening supplier capacity is critical to improving transparency, efficiency and inclusivity in public procurement while ensuring more government spending reaches local enterprises rather than a few established players.
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