President Uhuru Kenyatta directs State agencies to give business to women, youth

President Uhuru Kenyatta being shown products by a young woman entreprenuer Taby Rose Wanja, at KICC Wednesday. [Photo: Standard]

By Winsley Masese and Lilian Kiarie

Nairobi, Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered State corporations and other government departments to provide the youth, women and people with disabilities opportunity to apply for tenders in all sectors.

“Let the youth access all tenders in government and don’t select what to give them,” the Head of State said during the two-day women and youth expo in Nairobi Wednesday.

Some of the tenders advertised so far without mention of the youth involve key infrastructure, which runs into millions of shillings.

The two-day expo, which comes to an end today, seeks to sensitise the target groups on procurement procedures in providing goods and services to the government.

The President also urged State agencies not to be obsessed with experience as a threshold to provide the youth, women and people with disabilities with an opportunity to do business.

The statement comes in the wake of a rush by State corporations and other government departments to implement the 30 per cent procurement directive that gives the youth, women and persons with disabilities the opportunity to do business with the government.

The expo also seeks to have the procuring entities share information with women and youth entrepreneurs on their procurement plans in relation to the 30 per cent requirement.

State corporations that have lately taken into consideration the requirement to include the  Women Enterprises’ Fund, Kenya Coconut Development Authority, Kenya Film Commission, Coffee Development Fund and the ministry of Devolution and Planning.

The national treasury

On Wednesday, the ministry of Devolution and Planning asked youth, women and persons to bid for tenders. Those eligible for qualification should be registered and must have a copy of a Registration Certificate with The National Treasury and must have business registration and tax compliance certificates.

Some of the tenders involve supply and delivery of flowers, provision of cleaning services, photocopy and videography, and supply and delivery of mobile airtime. To ensure that there is compliance with the new regulations, the procuring entities will be required to make budgets, issue tender notices and submit quarterly reports to the Public Procurement Oversight Authority for compliance audits.

The membership of such registered bodies may have 30 per cent members who are not youth, women or PWD but their leadership must be 100 per cent youth, women or PWD.

To make it easier to do business, procuring entities will be required to pay for supplies made under this scheme within 30-days. A delay beyond 30-days requires the entity to make 50 per cent part-payment and explain the delay in writing.

A new Regulation 31 enjoins the national and county governments and other agencies of government to allocate at least 30 per cent of their procurement to the youth, and other disadvantaged groups.

Share capital

To qualify, the group or individual has to prepare a memorandum and articles of association, which describes objectives, rules, members and authorised share capital of the company.