More than 1,200 professionals from the public and private procurement space convened in Mombasa for the Third Edition of the Supply Chain National Dialogue taking place from the 25th to 29th of November 2024.
Speaking during the opening of the conference, Kenya Institute of Supply Management (KISM) Chairperson John Karani said this year’s main concentration was how professionals can deal with disruptions in the supply chain landscape.
“It has been brought about by so many dynamic changes in the procurement and supply chain sphere from COVID-19 to the shocks of the Russian-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine wars. There have been a lot of tectonic shifts that have challenged and shocked our supply chain landscape,” said Karani.
The conference will also highlight how the procurement and supply chain industry can leverage technology to ensure the needs of the members are met.
“There are issues around leveraging on technology and planning better. We have to be able to do contingency plans. The other big thing that we have to do now is local and regional economic growth. This will help us strengthen our capacity and create resilience,” said the KISM Chair.
In his speech during the official opening of the conference, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi said the Procurement and Supply Chain Profession plays a pivotal role in upholding the principles of fairness, equity, transparency, and competitiveness enshrined in Article 227 of the Kenyan Constitution.
“The theme of this year’s dialogue, “Empowering National Supply Chains for Innovation, Resilience, and Global Competitiveness,” is particularly timely as we navigate the complexities of the global economy. A robust and efficient supply chain is the backbone of any nation’s economic growth and development,” said CS Mbadi.
To fight corruption which continues to plague public procurement in the country, the government has introduced the (e- Government Procurement) E-GP system. All ministries departments and government agencies will be required to transact from this platform.
“Corruption and fraudulent practices continued to plague public procurement in Kenya. Acts such as bribery, embezzlement, and tender rigging undermine transparency and fairness, hindering the efficient allocation of public resources. We must break free from these unethical practices and strive for a more transparent and accountable procurement system,” said the treasury CS.
“Promotion of good governance in public procurement is paramount for our socio-economic progress as a country. The resources we have must be applied prudently and effectively for the benefit of all citizens of Kenya,” he added.
His sentiments were echoed by Eric Korir, Director of Public Procurement at the National Treasury who said the e-procurement platform was going to bring in greater efficiency and reduce manual processes that have also been associated with a lot of governance issues.
“The platform is going to ensure that whatever submission you have made as a tender is on record and cannot be deleted or destroyed. That will be good for oversight agencies carrying out compliance policies,” said Korir.
