The government’s push to digitize all public tenders has hit a major snag. A status report by the Council of Governors (CoG) reveals that persistent glitches in the IFMIS e-procurement module have stalled development projects in 35 counties, leaving contractors unpaid and essential services paralyzed.

The report indicates that for the last three months, county procurement officers have been unable to upload tender documents or generate Local Purchase Orders (LPOs). The Treasury blames "network instability" and "user error," but Governors claim it is a deliberate sabotage to centralize control of funds.

"We Are paralyzed"

"We cannot buy drugs for hospitals, we cannot fuel garbage trucks, and we cannot pay for road repairs because the system is always 'down'," said CoG Chair Ahmed Abdullahi. "Devolution is being killed by a microchip."

• Contractor Flight: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), already owed billions in pending bills, are now boycotting county tenders. "Why should I supply goods when the LPO cannot even be generated?" asked a Nyeri-based supplier.
• The Hybrid Proposal: The CoG is demanding a return to a hybrid system where manual processing is allowed during downtimes, but the Treasury insists that manual systems are breeding grounds for corruption.

As the standoff continues, the grass in the counties is growing uncut, and the patience of the electorate is wearing thin.