Turkana targets to surpass 30pc AGPO quota for women, youth and PWDs

Turkana targets to surpass 30pc AGPO quota for women, youth and PWDs

Lodwar, September 18, 2026

The Turkana County Government is seeking to go beyond the 30 per cent procurement threshold reserved for women, youth and persons with disabilities under the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) program.

Deputy County Secretary in charge of Administration Joseph Nyang'a said the county has put in place measures to ensure vulnerable groups are not only aware of government procurement opportunities but are also able to compete for and benefit from them.

Nyang'a said Turkana had already laid the foundation for increased participation by formalising affirmative action regulations aimed at protecting the rights of vulnerable groups and expanding their access to economic opportunities.

He was speaking in Lodwar when he hosted a joint delegation from UN Women and the Turkana Chapter of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI).

The meeting focused on efforts to strengthen gender-responsive procurement and assess progress made in increasing the participation of women-owned businesses in public procurement.

Nyang'a welcomed the initiative by UN Women to build the capacity of women-owned enterprises to access AGPO opportunities, saying the programme would help bridge gaps that have continued to limit the participation of women in county procurement.

He, however, called for greater focus on women living in rural and hard-to-reach areas, saying programmes designed to promote inclusion should extend beyond urban centres.

“The programme should reach women in rural and hard-to-reach areas to ensure that inclusivity is achieved,” Nyang'a said.

UN Women, with support from the Government of the United Arab Emirates, is implementing the Gender-Responsive Procurement (GRP) programme in Turkana and 10 other counties.

The programme is being implemented in partnership with local KNCCI chapters and targets counties including Isiolo, Marsabit, West Pokot, Kwale and Tana River.

Nyang'a also commended UN Women for establishing a garage at Kalobeyei in Turkana West, saying the facility would benefit women from both the refugee camp and the host community.

The garage is part of wider efforts to equip women with practical skills and create avenues through which they can participate in income-generating activities and access economic opportunities.

Governor's Advisor on Economic Affairs Emmanuel Imana urged UN Women to build on the work of previous organisations and agencies that have supported women's empowerment in Turkana.

Imana said sustaining and building on existing interventions would help deepen the gains made in empowering women and strengthening their participation in the local economy.

Turkana Director of Partnerships Raphael Logum said the county government would continue to make gender inclusion a key part of its engagements with development partners.

He said opportunities for women, youth and persons with disabilities would remain central to the county's discussions and programmes with partners.

The county's commitment comes against a backdrop of increased participation of women-owned enterprises in government procurement nationally.

Data shared during the UN Women led GRP training indicates that more than 112,000 women-owned businesses have been registered under AGPO, with the enterprises receiving more than Sh33 billion through tender opportunities in recent years.

In Turkana, women-led enterprises were awarded tenders worth nearly KSh984 million during the two financial years covering 2023/2024 and 2024/2025.

The figures point to growing participation by women-owned businesses in county procurement, although officials and partners say more needs to be done to ensure that opportunities reach enterprises in remote areas.

KNCCI Turkana Chapter Vice-Chairman Edward Okumu said more than 150 women-led enterprises registered under the Chamber had benefited from training conducted by UN Women on gender-responsive procurement.

Okumu said the beneficiaries were drawn from all 11 sub-counties of Turkana, giving the programme a broad reach across the county.

The women were sensitised on procurement opportunities available in both the public and private sectors, as part of efforts to equip them with the knowledge required to identify and pursue business opportunities.

Okumu said the latest visit by the UN Women delegation was aimed at reviewing progress and documenting lessons from the implementation of gender-responsive procurement systems in Turkana.

“For this visit, the UN Women team is here to assess progress and capture lessons learnt from the implementation of Gender-Responsive Procurement systems in Turkana,” he said.

He added that KNCCI was supporting the review by mobilising women-led enterprises that had benefited from the training.

Okumu said the participation of county officials had also been crucial in the programme, noting that both the County Assembly and the Executive had made their accounting and procurement teams available during the sensitisation sessions.

With the county now targeting to surpass the 30 per cent AGPO threshold, officials say strengthening the capacity of women-owned businesses, widening access to information and reaching enterprises in remote areas will be critical to turning procurement opportunities into tangible economic gains for vulnerable groups.