Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has strongly defended the government’s new e-procurement model, saying even divine intervention cannot stop its success.

Speaking during the Kenya Revenue Authority’s 30th anniversary celebrations in Nairobi on Monday, September 1, 2025, Mbadi praised the system as a powerful tool to end the misuse and theft of taxpayers’ money. He criticized Members of Parliament who continue to resist the digital platform, telling them their prayers for its failure are in vain.

“We have counties that are already procuring on the e-platform, like Kisii and Kitui counties. Same to the government agencies such as the EACC. They are also procuring. Meanwhile, we have others who are still sitting there and waiting for it to fail. Your prayers will not work. God cannot be that unfair to people of Kenya,” Mbadi said.

The CS emphasized that there will be no turning back on the digital shift, adding that compliance levels across counties and state agencies are already growing steadily.

His remarks came shortly after President William Ruto doubled down on his administration’s war on corruption in government procurement. The President accused corrupt officials of inflating contracts through shady deals and vowed that the e-procurement system would expose every shilling spent.

“Kuna watu wengi wazoea kandarasi ya ukora, kitu ya shillingi mbili tunanunua na shillingi 10 kama serikali kwa sababu ya procurement ya ukora ya quotation hapo. Tumesema tunaweka e-procurement. Wacha ijulikane imenunuliwa pesa ngapi na imeuziwa serikali na nani, na mbona mtu wa shillingi mbili hakupata hio kandarasi na mtu wa shillingi kumi akapata,” Ruto said.

Trasnlated loosely: (There are many people who are used to fraudulent contracts; something worth two shillings we end up buying at ten shillings as government because of shady procurement quotations. We have said we are introducing e-procurement. Let it be known how much was paid, who sold it to the government, and why the person selling at two shillings didn’t get the contract while the one selling at ten shillings did)

The Head of State made it clear that embracing e-procurement is mandatory, warning government workers that they either adapt or leave.

“Najua kuna resistance, procurement officers, accounting officers hawataki hio maneno kwa sababu wanataka kuendelea ya wizi ya zamani. Nyinyi na ukora na ufisadi yenu hamuwezi kutuzuia tuhakikishe pesa ya serikali inatumiwa inavyopaswa,” he said.

(I know there is resistance – procurement officers, accounting officers don’t want this because they want to continue with the old ways of theft. But you and your fraud and corruption cannot stop us from ensuring that government money is used as it should be)

“We are going to implement e-procurement, and there is no going back. Any official who is not ready to work with us in e-procurement wanaeza toka kwa serikali watafute kazi ingine,” the President warned.