TISA Unveils Citizen Watch Module, Ushering in a New Era of Public Procurement Accountability in Kenya

By James Nyaigoti,

The Institute for Social Accountability (TISA) has launched a groundbreaking digital tool the Citizen Watch Module, designed to transform how Kenyans monitor, scrutinize, and influence public procurement across the country.

The launch, attended by senior government officials, county leaders, civil society organisations, development partners, and civic activists, marks a significant milestone in Kenya’s fight against corruption and its journey toward transparent, citizen-centered governance.

At a time when procurement scandals frequently dominate headlines and public confidence in government spending continues to waver, the new module offers Kenyans something long overdue: a reliable, accessible, and structured way to follow the money and hold public institutions accountable.

A Turning Point for Social Accountability

Speaking during the unveiling, leaders highlighted the module as a symbol of Kenya’s collective resolve to strengthen integrity, transparency, and good governance.

“Every public shield must work and work for the Kenyan people,” one county official noted. “This initiative embodies our commitment to building a country where public resources are managed with truth, honor, and full respect for citizens.”

The Citizen Watch Module operationalizes principles enshrined in the Constitution, the Public Finance Management Act, the County Governments Act, and Open Government commitments. It aims to ensure that public procurement is open, competitive, inclusive, and fair from the planning stage all the way to delivery and auditing.

By giving citizens access to timely information on public contracts, the platform closes a longstanding gap between government institutions and the public they serve. The result is an empowered citizenry able to demand value for money, track progress on development projects, and raise red flags where irregularities appear.

Counties Embrace Transparency

Several counties present at the launch shared success stories demonstrating how collaboration between government, civil society, and the public can improve governance.

A representative from Uasin Gishu County recounted how roundtable meetings with CSOs revealed gaps in the 2023 County Budget Transparency (CBT) Report. These insights informed targeted reforms that saw the county improve dramatically from position 45 to 22 in the 2024 assessment.

“We have strengthened our public participation frameworks, ensuring forums are more inclusive and accessible,” the county leader said. “Today, citizens help identify project priorities, verify progress, and speak up when things go off course. This is real democracy in action.”

Uasin Gishu has also increased inclusion by ensuring AGPO opportunities reach women, youth, and persons with disabilities. Notably, a team of deaf youth now manages cleaning duties at county headquarters — a reminder that ability is universal, and opportunity must be too.

Several speakers emphasized that procurement is one of the most sensitive areas of government. When managed well, it improves service delivery and strengthens trust. When mismanaged, it breeds inefficiency, corruption, and public frustration.

Citizen oversight becomes essential in bridging this gap. It gives people the tools to monitor procurement processes, evaluate performance, and influence decisions to ensure fairness and value for money.

Key benefits include:

Improved service delivery: Citizens know their needs best; their feedback helps align projects with real priorities.

Transparency and anti-corruption: Public scrutiny reduces opportunities for fraud, favoritism, and inflated costs.

Inclusive development: Marginalized groups get a stronger voice in resource allocation.

Strengthened governance: Procurement becomes a tool of democratic responsiveness rather than a transactional exercise.

To achieve this, practical mechanisms must be embraced including publishing procurement plans and performance reports, running citizen monitoring platforms, social audits, participatory budgeting, and community-led oversight of local projects.

Addressing Challenges: Information Gaps, Capacity, and the Digital Divide

Despite the promise of the Citizen Watch Module, several challenges persist.

Information asymmetry remains a major barrier — procurement language is often technical and complex, limiting citizen participation. Simplified data formats and civic education will be essential.

There is also the digital divide, especially in rural areas. Speakers emphasized the need for hybrid engagement models both online and offline to ensure no group is left behind.

Finally, resistance within institutions can hinder citizen oversight. Embedding transparency into legal frameworks, procurement guidelines, and performance monitoring systems is necessary to overcome bureaucratic inertia.

One speaker, a gender and disability rights activist from Makueni County, offered a powerful reflection on inclusion in procurement. During her tenure in the Department of Gender and Social Services, she ensured that jobs and contract opportunities were deliberately directed toward women, youth, and persons with disabilities.

Yet she raised a critical concern: the unethical practice of individuals using documents belonging to persons with disabilities to win contracts while the real beneficiaries receive nothing.

“It is immoral and ungodly,” she said. “We must condemn it in the strongest terms possible.”

She also underscored the need for ethical distribution of resources, expressing concern that Kenya is rich but mismanagement and greed leave many in poverty.

“Poverty exists not because the poor do not share, but because those with resources deny them to others. Each one of us here can make a difference.”

The Role of Partnerships

The launch reinforced a crucial truth: no single actor can deliver accountability alone.

Government cannot enforce transparency in isolation.

Civil society cannot monitor contracts without access to information.

Citizens cannot participate meaningfully without platforms, education, and cooperation.

A multi-stakeholder approach involving CSOs, county governments, the private sector, media, women, youth, and persons with disabilities is therefore essential.

TISA, Transparency International, county administrations, civic organisations, and technology partners were commended for their leadership in driving this transformative initiative.

The Citizen Watch Module represents a new chapter in Kenya’s democratic evolution. It strengthens the bridge between government and the public, ensuring that projects deliver what is promised and public money is used responsibly.

As the country continues to embrace digital governance, citizen oversight will become increasingly vital. TISA’s tool offers not just transparency, but renewed public confidence and collective responsibility.

The message from the launch was clear:

Kenya can and must build a governance culture rooted in accountability, openness, fairness, and citizen participation.

If embraced by all stakeholders, this module has the power to shape a Kenya where public contracting is measurable, corruption-free, and truly centered on the people.