Govt Orders Enforcement Of 30% Tenders For Youth, Women And PWDs

The government has directed all state agencies to fully implement the policy that requires at least 30% of government tenders to be allocated to youth, women and persons with disabilities (PWDs).

In a circular dated August 13, 2025, Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei said many procuring entities have failed to follow the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme despite it being in place since 2013.

The AGPO policy requires all public institutions to reserve a minimum of 30% of procurement value for businesses owned by young people, women and people living with disabilities. It aims to promote job creation, support local enterprises and transfer technology.

However, Koskei noted that most agencies are still performing below this legal target. Statistics from the Economic Survey 2023 show that between the 2015/16 and 2022/23 financial years, women received just 9.37% of total tender value, youth 6.02%, and PWDs only 1.42%. In total, the three groups got an average of only 16.8%, far below the required 30%.

He also revealed that only 44.1% of state agencies have been submitting complete procurement reports on the Public Procurement Information Portal (PPIP) as required.

To correct this, the government has issued strict new instructions. Every accounting officer must now ensure that no less than 30 percent of their institution’s annual procurement value is reserved for youth, women, and persons with disabilities. Within this, at least two percent of the total procurement value must specifically go to businesses owned by PWDs.

All public institutions are also required to submit quarterly reports on AGPO compliance through the Public Procurement Information Portal. In addition, state agencies have been directed to provide training and capacity building for AGPO beneficiaries in collaboration with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority and the State Department for MSMEs.

“Failure to meet AGPO threshold or to submit timely and complete compliance reports will attract administrative and disciplinary action in line with the Public Service Performance Framework and other applicable laws.” The directives takes effect immediate.