By Editorial
Public procurement is one of the biggest conduits through which national resources are looted by well-connected cartels. However, past efforts have failed to eliminate the scourge driven by tenderpreneurs. These are the businesspeople who secure lucrative government procurement contracts using political connections.
As past efforts to fight the menace failed, it is encouraging that government agencies are now partnering to root out the tender cartels. The competition watchdog and the procurement regulator are leading the crackdown on those colluding to inflate the cost of government projects, denying the taxpayers value for money.
The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) says it is working closely with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) to fight the illegal schemes distorting competition. The government is also tightening oversight over procurement, which accounts for more than half of the total public expenditure. The public system is susceptible to abuse by suppliers and the government ends up paying more than the market prices.
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