Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has directed all government ministries, departments and agencies to fully adopt the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system, declaring an end to procurement exemptions as the government steps up reforms aimed at improving transparency, accountability and value for money.
Speaking on Wednesday during the launch of the 2027/28 Medium-Term Budget preparation process, Mbadi said all public entities must now process procurement through the digital platform, warning that requests for exemptions would no longer be entertained.
"From now, there should be no exemptions. Those exemptions you have been forwarding, their time is up. Close chapter. Everybody go e-GP," Mbadi said. "I don't see any reason why you should still request for exemptions any further. Now this programme has kicked off, and it is successful."
The e-GP system was officially launched by the National Treasury on April 7, 2025, before a mandatory nationwide rollout on July 1, 2025, requiring all ministries, departments, agencies and county governments to conduct procurement through the platform as part of efforts to digitise public spending and curb corruption.
The Treasury has since been onboarding government institutions onto the platform, with public entities progressively shifting procurement processes to the electronic system in line with Treasury directives.
Beyond procurement reforms, Mbadi directed sector working groups preparing the 2027/28 budget to adopt zero-based budgeting, requiring every expenditure item to be justified instead of relying on previous allocations.
"I want a clear report on how we have done with zero-based budgeting. It should not just be a talk in our books. I want to realistically see how the zero-based budgeting has transformed the budget process because we have implemented it," he said.
The Cabinet Secretary also announced that all government spending will now be climate-tagged to integrate climate risks into planning, while programmes targeting children, persons with disabilities and gender-sensitive initiatives will undergo mandatory social equity tagging.
"All expenditures will now be climate tagged to integrate climate risks into planning and budgeting. We are also mainstreaming social equity by requiring mandatory tagging for programmes addressing the needs of children, persons with disabilities, and gender-sensitive initiatives," Mbadi said.
He said the reforms would strengthen government's ability to monitor how public spending responds to climate change and the needs of vulnerable groups.
Mbadi further instructed ministries and agencies to submit realistic and well-costed budget proposals that align with the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), ongoing development projects and constitutional requirements.
He said budget proposals should demonstrate their potential to create jobs, reduce poverty, improve productivity and support long-term economic resilience.
The Treasury will also continue implementing wider public finance reforms, including full operationalisation of the Treasury Single Account, automation of pension administration, asset optimisation and the expansion of public-private partnerships through the National Infrastructure Fund.
Calling for greater public accountability, Mbadi said he would personally conduct regional public engagements to explain budget allocations and project implementation.
"Every village should know what budget of 2026/27 is available for them and what to expect in 2027/28, in the spirit of accountability," he said.
He urged sector working groups to submit proposals that are "realistic, well-costed, and impact-oriented," saying sound fiscal discipline would be key to delivering better public services while maintaining economic stability.