Building Confidence in Public Procurement: Suppliers Gather for ACA Sensitization Forum

Nairobi, Kenya- For many suppliers, doing business with government can sometimes feel complex, competitive, and difficult to navigate. Questions around registration, tender requirements, digital systems, and compliance often stand between small businesses and real opportunity.
It is this gap that the Anti-Counterfeit Authority (ACA), in collaboration with the National Treasury, sought to bridge during the Suppliers Sensitization Forum held at Panari Hotel, Nairobi.

The forum brought together suppliers from different sectors and backgrounds for a practical engagement aimed at helping them better understand public procurement processes, access government opportunities, and strengthen their readiness to participate in an increasingly digital procurement environment.
The session opened with welcoming remarks by Beatrice Onyango, Head of Procurement at ACA, who set the tone for the day by encouraging suppliers to take full advantage of the forum as a learning opportunity.
Delivering the Executive Director’s opening remarks, Director of Enforcement Yusuf Osman reminded participants that public procurement is not just about business opportunities, but also about responsibility. He urged suppliers to uphold integrity by supplying only genuine, authentic, and compliant goods and services to public institutions.
His remarks struck at the heart of the Authority’s message: that the quality and authenticity of what is supplied to government matters. He emphasized that suppliers are important partners in protecting public trust and ensuring that counterfeit, substandard, and misrepresented goods do not find their way into public supply chains.
Participants also heard from Henry Maina, Deputy Director of Research at ACA, who took them through the mandate of the Authority and explained how its work benefits suppliers. By combating counterfeit goods and supporting legitimate trade, ACA helps create a fairer business environment where genuine suppliers are protected from unfair competition.
His session also helped suppliers understand how to identify and source genuine products by verifying trademarks, checking packaging and labeling details, confirming product origin, and working only with authorized manufacturers, distributors, and accredited suppliers.
Another key highlight of the forum was a presentation by Jane Mbugua and Collins Kipkoech , Albert Langat from the National Treasury, who guided participants on the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) programme and the process of registering on the Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system.
For many attendees, this was one of the most practical parts of the engagement. The presenters explained that the AGPO programme reserves at least 30 percent of public procurement opportunities for enterprises owned by women, youth, and persons with disabilities, opening doors for groups that have historically faced barriers in accessing government business.
They also took participants through the steps of registering on the e-GP platform, helping demystify a process that is now central to public procurement in Kenya.
Beyond the presentations, the forum created space for dialogue, clarification, and confidence-building. Suppliers were not just passive listeners; they were given an opportunity to ask questions, seek guidance, and better understand what is expected of them when engaging with government institutions.
In many ways, the event was about more than procurement. It was about access, inclusion, trust, and creating a fairer system where suppliers are empowered with knowledge and where public institutions can rely on quality, compliant, and authentic goods and services.
By convening the forum, ACA reaffirmed its commitment to transparency, accountability, and supplier empowerment, while also strengthening the message that genuine trade and ethical procurement go hand in hand.