In renewed efforts to fight corruption and improve efficiency, government has announced it will fully roll out a mandatory electronic government procurement system in all institutions by July 1, 2026, phasing out manual procurement systems to promote digital governance.
The rollout is intended to eliminate corruption scandals associated with procurement, reduce bureaucratic delays, and improve accountability in public spending, while modernising public administration and strengthening transparency.
Speaking during the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) ISO certification handover ceremony in Kampala on Friday, PPDA Executive Director Benson Turamye announced that electronic procurement will become mandatory across government institutions.
‘By July 2026, we are going to roll out e-government procurement to all government agencies, we are going to phase out the manual procurement systems as we fully transition to an electronic procurement system,’ he announced.
Mr Turamye said at least 36 government agencies are already using the electronic procurement system. From July 2026, it will be mandatory for all government agencies, a critical reform he said will reduce manipulation in procurement processes.
‘We are not creating a new process, but digitising the existing analogue process. All government agencies, from local government to cities, public universities, and government hospitals, among other institutions, must adopt the trend,’ he added.
According to PPDA, public procurement contributes nearly 18 percent of Uganda’s Gross Domestic Product. Mr Turamye noted that 65 percent of the 2026/27 budget is going to procurement.
The PPDA ED stated that maintaining international standards, information security, and accountability remains essential to building trust and safeguarding integrity in public procurement. He announced PPDA’s next focus will be on strengthening cybersecurity to protect users.
The announcement comes as government increases investment in digital infrastructure under the 2026/27 budget. In the 2026/27 financial year, government allocated Shs1.140 trillion to Science, Technology and Innovation, ICT and the creative industries. Key priorities include expanding digital infrastructure to increase coverage, reliability and affordability of internet, government services and e-commerce.
Minister of ICT and National Guidance Justine Kasule Lumumba urged government agencies to embrace digital governance, arguing that technology offers one of Uganda’s strongest responses to corruption and inefficiency.
She said migration from analogue to digital systems would improve service delivery, increase transparency and restore public trust in government operations.
Ms Lumumba stressed the need to secure protection of procurement data, including financial information, supplier records, bid documents and contract information, to guarantee value for money and improve traceability in public expenditure.
‘We need to bring more ideas, develop more software to fight corruption because this is an effort to show that we can fight corruption but also be able to compete at the global level in technology,’ she urged.
As government accelerates digitisation, she encouraged public institutions to adopt internationally recognised digital standards to support electronic governance and strengthen service delivery.
The push for digital governance also aligns with broader procurement reforms announced in the national budget, including stronger internal controls, tighter audits and enhanced accountability measures intended to improve public resource management.
Last month, Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi warned that Uganda’s ambition to grow its economy to USD500 billion by 2040 could be undermined by corruption, delays and inefficiencies in procurement.