No turning back on e-procurement, PS warns

 Wagunda said the training was part of a nationwide push to ensure counties maintain accurate and reliable digital registers for public assets. He asserted that digitization is intended to safeguard public resources and standardize reporting in line with national policies, noting that this will strengthen accountability and transparency across all levels of government.

He pointed out that the digitization drive was not just a technical upgrade but a fundamental shift in public financial management. According to the PS, the IFMIS Asset Module will ensure greater accuracy, better safeguarding of resources, and uniform reporting standards in both the national and county governments.

The PS challenged county governments to act with urgency in submitting the names of official users for the IFMIS system so that they can be mapped in. He added that officers must also work on securing ownership documents, such as title deeds, for all public assets, warning that proper ownership remains the legal foundation of effective asset management.

Mr. Wagunda further called for innovation in optimizing assets, stressing that public resources should not lie dormant. He cited roads as an example, saying they can be turned into income-generating opportunities through advertising and other creative approaches that can supplement service delivery.

At the same time, he urged counties to continue with capacity building by training more officers in asset management, assuring them that his department was ready to provide additional training whenever requested. He insisted that counties must allocate a dedicated budget line to support asset management and ensure sustainability of the reforms.

He revealed that all State departments had already uploaded their asset data into the IFMIS Asset Module in the 2023/2024 financial year, which has greatly improved accountability in the national government. He said counties are expected to match that level of commitment.

The PS also drew attention to the government directive requiring all public entities to transition from cash to accrual accounting by the end of the 2026/2027 financial year. He said the accelerated reforms make the consolidation of accurate asset registers more urgent than ever before.

He reminded county officers that maintaining reliable and up-to-date asset registers is a legal duty under the Public Finance Management Act. He urged them to honor the trust Kenyans have placed in them by safeguarding public resources with integrity, transparency, and innovation, assuring that the national government remains committed to walking with counties on this transformative journey.