Green Public Procurement Initiatives in East African Community (EAC)

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the green public procurement initiatives taken by the countries in the East Africa. The East African Community (EAC) Head of States signed the East African Monetary Protocol Union (EMPU) protocol on November 30, 2013. One of the key ingredients in having a sustainable monetary union is to harmonize public financial management systems amongst the EAC Partner States and the EAMU protocol has referred the provision of harmonization of public procurement policies. The first stakeholder' workshop on the harmonization of public financial management standards in line with the EAC Monetary Union Protocol held during March 14-17, 2014 in Nairobi, Kenya identified green public procurement (GPP) strategy as one of the key policy areas requiring development and harmonization across the member states. This initiative should also be viewed in the context of the Member States' Public Procurement Reform Initiatives, which contains a suite of measures in relation to public procurement. Reform of the public procurement function is, and remains, driven by the need to obtain maximum value for public money in procuring works, supplies, and services.