By Issa Hussein - Reporter
May 20, 2026 - Mandera County has been directed by the Senate Finance and Budget Committee to urgently strengthen its procurement reporting systems after gaps emerged in records submitted to the Public Procurement Information Portal (PPIP).
Governor Mohamed Khalif appeared before the committee on Tuesday to respond to concerns raised by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) over procurement data covering the 2023 to 2025 financial years.
The county boss told senators that the missing records did not amount to procurement irregularities, insisting that Mandera had not undertaken any direct procurements, contract variations or contract terminations during the period under review.
He attributed the reporting gaps to technical challenges experienced during the rollout of the PPIP system, including internet connectivity problems and downtime affecting the county’s operations.
However, the PPRA maintained that the online platform remains the official procurement reporting system used by more than 32,000 procuring entities nationwide.
The committee, chaired by Senator Ali Roba, shifted focus to what lawmakers termed weak communication and delayed reporting between the county government and the regulator.
Committee Vice Chairperson Tabitha Mutinda, who chaired the session, warned county officials against delays in responding to regulatory queries.
“Timely responses to formal regulatory correspondence are vital to safeguarding the transparency of public systems,” she said.
Senators also urged Mandera’s finance and procurement officials to adopt a more proactive approach in handling audits and compliance requirements to avoid future administrative lapses.
Lawmakers said the committee’s intention was not to punish the county government but to strengthen accountability and ensure public procurement records are properly preserved within the national system.
The Senate team directed Mandera County to reconcile and upload all pending procurement reports for the affected financial years to the PPIP platform.
In response, the county government pledged to establish an internal compliance monitoring mechanism, introduce a procurement reporting checklist after every tender process and train staff on procurement reporting obligations.
The committee further instructed both Mandera County and the PPRA to submit evidence of previous correspondence to help senators establish the timeline of communication before tabling a final report in the House.
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