Central portal — register once as a vendor

How to register as a government contractor in Kenya

Since 1 July 2025 all public procurement by Kenya's national and county government procuring entities is conducted end-to-end through the central Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) system at egpkenya.go.ke, operated by the National Treasury. Supplier, contractor and consultant self-registration on the e-GP portal is a mandatory prerequisite for participating in any government tender. The e-GP system replaces the earlier fragmented model (the IFMIS supplier portal and per-entity prequalification lists), though tender notices and contract awards continue to be published on the PPRA's Public Procurement Information Portal (tenders.go.ke). Registration data is auto-verified against the Business Registration Service (BRS), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) and the National Registration Bureau.

Central portal — register once as a vendor
This country runs a single national portal where you register as a vendor. That registration is your standing qualification to bid.

Official portal

Electronic Government Procurement (e-GP) System

The National Treasury (Republic of Kenya); oversight by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA)

Go to portal ↗

Who can register

Foreign companies eligibleLocal entity / agent required

Foreign suppliers MAY self-register on the e-GP portal (including via an authorised representative) even if not yet registered with Kenya's Business Registration Service (BRS); however registration with the BRS is a mandatory CONDITION FOR CONTRACT AWARD - no contract will be awarded to a foreign supplier not registered with the BRS. Foreign firms are also constrained by strong local-preference rules: for wholly government-funded tenders below the Regulation 163 thresholds (Ksh 1 billion for works/construction materials made in Kenya; Ksh 500 million for goods and services) exclusive preference is reserved for citizen contractors (a firm wholly owned and controlled by Kenyan citizens). Successful foreign bidders must typically reserve 75% of employment for Kenyan citizens (20% at professional/management level), include a local-content/technology-transfer plan, and for construction/infrastructure register with the National Construction Authority (NCA) and sub-contract or joint-venture at least 30% of contract value to local NCA-registered firms. The AGPO 30% reserved-procurement scheme is for enterprises owned by Kenyan youth, women and persons with disabilities and is not open to foreign-owned firms.

Step-by-step: registering in Kenya

1

Obtain prerequisite Kenyan identifiers (or appoint an authorised representative)

Before registering, a supplier needs a Company/Business Registration Number maintained by the Business Registration Service (BRS), a Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) PIN for the business or individual, a National ID number, and a valid official business email and mobile phone number. The e-GP system verifies and validates this data against KRA, BRS and the National Registration Bureau; any data mismatch causes registration to fail. Foreign suppliers not yet registered with BRS may proceed to register (through an authorised representative), but BRS registration is required before any contract can be awarded to them.

official link ↗

Required:
  • Company or Business Registration Number issued/maintained by the Business Registration Service (BRS)
  • KRA PIN (business or individual)
  • National ID number (or passport for individuals)
  • Certificate of registration / incorporation / compliance
2

Create a supplier account on the e-GP portal

Go to the official e-GP portal at https://egpkenya.go.ke and use the supplier self-registration page. All suppliers, contractors and consultants are required to self-register. Create an online account and activate it via the confirmation link sent to the registered email address.

official link ↗

🔒 Sign up to see the 3 required document(s) for this step.
3

Complete supplier profile and submit for validation

Enter the business/organisation details, upload the required documents, and submit. The e-GP system automatically validates the data against KRA, BRS and the National Registration Bureau; suppliers are advised to first update their records with BRS and KRA so the details match. A data mismatch results in unsuccessful registration. Support is available via support@egpkenya.go.ke, phone +254 (020) 3341030/3340400/3340433, at Huduma Centres, and in person at the Treasury Building, 6th Floor Room 622, Harambee Avenue, Nairobi.

official link ↗

🔒 Sign up to see the 3 required document(s) for this step.
4

Maintain a valid Tax Compliance Certificate and obtain sector-specific licences

To bid, suppliers must hold a valid KRA Tax Compliance Certificate and must not be debarred by the PPRA. Category-specific credentials are also required at tender stage, e.g. National Construction Authority (NCA) registration for works/construction; NCA is also required for foreign construction firms who must in addition sub-contract/JV at least 30% of contract value to local NCA-registered firms. AGPO-reserved categories require a valid AGPO certificate (Kenyan youth/women/PWD-owned enterprises only).

official link ↗

🔒 Sign up to see the 5 required document(s) for this step.
5

For foreign suppliers - complete BRS registration before contract award

A foreign supplier may register on and bid through the e-GP system without prior BRS registration, but no contract shall be awarded to a foreign supplier that is not registered with the Business Registration Service. Foreign bidders should therefore register a local entity/branch (or otherwise register with BRS) before award, and expect local-content obligations (Kenyan employment quotas, technology transfer, and for construction a minimum 30% local sub-contract/JV).

official link ↗

🔒 Sign up to see the 3 required document(s) for this step.

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Cost, timeline & legal basis

Cost

Not documented — verify on the official portal.

Typical timeline

Varies per tender — not a fixed registration time.

Legal framework

Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015 (PPADA, Act No. 33 of 2015) - Section 7(c) and 7(f) mandate the National Treasury to design and prescribe an efficient procurement management system and to develop electronic procurement strategies (source: https://www.treasury.go.ke/egp-kenya); operationalised by the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Regulations, 2020 (https://www.treasury.go.ke/sites/default/files/PPDA/Public-Procurement-and-Asset-Disposal-Regulations-2020.pdf). Preferences and reservations for citizen contractors are provided under Part XII of the PPADA 2015 and Regulation 163 of the 2020 Regulations. e-GP rollout directed by the President's State of the Nation address (21 November 2024).

Common pitfalls & restrictions

Data mismatch between the e-GP profile and BRS/KRA/National Registration Bureau records is the most common cause of failed registration - update BRS and KRA records first so names and numbers match exactly. Foreign firms often assume e-GP registration alone qualifies them; in fact no contract is awarded without BRS registration. Below the Regulation 163 thresholds (Ksh 1B works / Ksh 500M goods & services) exclusive preference is reserved for wholly Kenyan-citizen-owned firms, so foreign firms are ineligible for many smaller government-funded tenders. Kenya is not a signatory to the WTO Government Procurement Agreement, which limits foreign bidder access. A valid Tax Compliance Certificate and not being PPRA-debarred are mandatory at tender stage.

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Sources & verification

This guide is grounded in official sources, last verified 2026-07-20.

e-GP is the central portal; supplier self-registration mandatory from 1 July 2025 for national and county government; required data (BRS reg number, KRA PIN, National ID); auto-validation vs KRA/BRS/National Registration Bureau; foreign suppliers may register but BRS registration required for contract award — https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/113498-treasury-orders-mandatory-registration-all-government-suppliers-july-e-gp-rollout
Official e-GP portal URL and legal basis (PPADA 2015 s.7(c) and 7(f)); National Treasury operates the e-GP system — https://www.treasury.go.ke/egp-kenya
Official e-GP supplier registration page — https://egpkenya.go.ke/supplier/registration
Official BRS notice to suppliers: self-register on e-GP at egpkenya.go.ke; registration is a prerequisite for participating in government procurement; deadline 1 July 2025 — https://brs.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Notice-to-suppliers.pdf
e-GP rollout by 1 July 2025 directed by President's State of the Nation address 21 Nov 2024; mandatory registration; support locations — https://www.klrc.go.ke/index.php/media-center/738-e-government-procurement-e-gp-system-roll-out-by-july-1-2025
Foreign firm rules: Kenya not a WTO GPA signatory; exclusive citizen preference for wholly govt-funded tenders under thresholds; 75% Kenyan employment; NCA registration and 30% local sub-contract/JV for construction; PPADA 2015 framework; tenders.go.ke portal — https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/kenya-selling-public-sector
'Citizen contractor' = firm wholly owned and controlled by Kenyan citizens; Regulation 163 thresholds Ksh 1B (works/materials made in Kenya) and Ksh 500M (goods/services) for exclusive preference; 2020 Regulations — https://gerivia.co.ke/2135/international-comparative-legal-guides-iclg-public-procurement-chapter-kenya-2024/
AGPO: 30% of procurement reserved for enterprises owned by Kenyan youth, women and persons with disabilities; legal basis Constitution Art. 227 & 55 and PPADA 2015; register at agpo.go.ke; enterprise must be legally registered with at least 70% ownership by the group — https://agpo.go.ke/pages/about-agpo
AGPO required documents and steps (National ID/Kenyan Passport, BRS-linked business registration, CR12/CR13, Tax Compliance Certificate; via Huduma Kenya Centre AGPO desk) — https://agpo.go.ke/pages/faqs
PPRA Public Procurement Information Portal (tenders.go.ke) publishes tender notices and contract awards for all procuring entities; e-GP registration required by law — https://tenders.go.ke/
IFMIS legacy supplier portal context (KRA-validated self-registration; approval automated within ~2 hours) - superseded for procurement by e-GP from July 2025 — https://www.treasury.go.ke/ifmis
Example of legacy per-entity prequalification/registration (ORPP tender ORPP/T/01/2024-2026): eligible candidates must be registered with the Registrar of Companies under the Laws of Kenya; mandatory docs include Certificate of Registration/Incorporation, valid Tax Compliance Certificate, not debarred by PPRA, trade licence, CR12, AGPO certificate for reserved groups — https://tenders.go.ke/storage/Documents/1726488899317-registration-document.pdf
PPAD Regulations 2020 (official Treasury copy) - preferences and reservations, thresholds — https://www.treasury.go.ke/sites/default/files/PPDA/Public-Procurement-and-Asset-Disposal-Regulations-2020.pdf
This guide summarizes official requirements for general information and can change. Always confirm current requirements on the official portal before acting. GlobalGov is not affiliated with any government procurement authority.