In a decisive move to eradicate costly “ghost projects,” the Kenyan government now requires all national and county agencies to include precise geographic coordinates for every project listed in tender documents, leveraging a newly launched digital procurement system.
The mandatory provision of GPS coordinates took effect on July 1, 2025, as a core feature of the nationwide rollout of the electronic Government Procurement System (e-GPS). This fundamental shift replaces the previous practice where projects were identified only by name—a system exploited for years to siphon billions of shillings through fraudulent duplication and non-existent initiatives.
Government sources confirm the new requirement directly targets a pervasive scam: multiple agencies or counties claiming funding for the same physical project or inventing projects entirely, leading to massive duplicate allocations and taxpayer losses. Audits, including those by the Auditor-General, have consistently revealed such ghost projects consuming funds estimated in the tens of billions of shillings annually.
“The provision of geographic coordinates where physical projects are located will enable us to undertake site visits and confirm the progress of different projects,” stated Mr. Wanjuki, Director-General of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), the body overseeing procurement. “This will ensure that citizens can track where the projects are being undertaken. Our officers will use those coordinates and go to the specific areas.”
Under the integrated e-GPS platform, all procurement activities by national and county governments must now be conducted digitally. This system provides real-time visibility to key oversight bodies, including the National Treasury, the Controller of Budget (COB), the Auditor-General, and the PPRA. Crucially, all tender and contract information is automatically published on the Public Procurement Information Portal (PPIP), enabling public scrutiny of awarded companies and project details.
Mr. Wanjuki emphasized the expected outcomes: “With the coming of the e-GPS, we expect transparency, fairness, and accountability in public procurement processes.” The coordinates will allow projects to be tracked continuously from inception to completion, significantly reducing instances of projects stalling despite contractors receiving payments—another common avenue for loss.
The PPRA highlights that the e-GPS will streamline verification. Previously, confirming a project’s existence and progress often required navigating procurement entities for location details, creating delays and opportunities for obfuscation. Now, regulators and auditors can use the provided coordinates to visit the exact site independently.
This digital crackdown addresses a long-standing drain on public finances. Well-documented cases exist where both county and national agencies claimed credit and funding for a single project, effectively billing taxpayers twice. The lack of precise, verifiable location data made such fraud difficult to detect and prove conclusively.
The e-GPS rollout and the coordinate mandate represent a significant step in the government’s broader anti-corruption and fiscal responsibility agenda, aiming to ensure taxpayer funds translate into tangible development projects visible on the ground.
– Nusurah Nuhu
