Utility Kenya Power has allocated tenders worth Kes609 million to youth, women, and persons with disabilities, marking a huge increase in government procurement opportunities going to this demographic.

This allocation is part of a larger Kes1.8 billion procurement budget set aside for women, youth and persons living with disabilities under the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) initiative.

Comparatively, during the same period in the previous financial year, the company had awarded tenders totaling Kes244 million to businesses owned by youth, women, and PWDs.

Among the allocated tenders, businesses owned by youth secured the largest share, amounting to Kes472.9 million, followed by women with Kes135.5 million and persons with disabilities with Kes646,700.

John Ngeno, Kenya Power's general manager of supply chain and logistics, attributed this surge in tender uptake to the company's efforts to educate and inform these target groups about the available procurement opportunities.

He noted that Kenya Power has been carrying out workshops nationwide to ensure that special interest groups are well-equipped to participate in procurement, aiming for a full usage of the allocated budget.

Read also: Kenya introduces green plates for electric cars

To further drive participation in AGPO tenders, recent workshops were held in Mombasa and Kisumu, argeting these special interest groups.

In addition to these workshops, Kenya Power is collaborating with financial institutions to provide support and facilitate participation in AGPO tenders. Ngeno highlighted the company's efforts to maintain close ties with leading financial institutions, enabling them to offer tailored financial solutions to bidders during sensitization forums.

“We are keen to maintain liaison with leading financial institutions to offer financial support to bidders under the AGPO category. Most of these institutions also participate in our sensitisation forums where they get to meet the bidders and offer tailor-made financial solutions to boost their capacity to bid,” said Ngeno.

 Furthermore, Kenya Power conducts pre-bid conferences during tendering periods to enhance knowledge and awareness among potential bidders.

[email protected]