This paper presents a comparative analysis of the public procurement system in three East African countries: Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. In response to both domestic and international pressures, these countries have recently undertaken important initiatives to make their public procurement systems more efficient and transparent in line with international procurement guidelines. The experience of the three countries with the reforms has been quite varied. While Tanzania has moved fast with the reforms and has already put in place a legislative framework for public procurement, Kenya and Uganda have yet to enact procurement legislation. In Kenya, a number of significant changes have already been effected through a ministerial gazette notice pending the coming into force of a Procurement Act. There is also an urgent need for strengthening institutions involved in public procurement, as these institutions tend to lack technical and human resource capabilities.
Although the current East ...
