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Compliance · Public sector

Asset registers for the Kenyan public sector

Public entities in Kenya operate under a specific statutory and administrative framework for managing fixed assets, and it is worth understanding the outline before you procure a tagging exercise. Sections 67 to 74 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012 place responsibility for proper financial management, including asset management, on the designated accounting officer of each entity. That responsibility does not transfer to a supplier; a tagging contractor supports the accounting officer's obligation, it does not discharge it.

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Asset registers for the Kenyan public sector, Nicetags Solutions, Nairobi
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Nicetags Solutions

Asset registers for the Kenyan public sector

Public entities in Kenya operate under a specific statutory and administrative framework for managing fixed assets, and it is worth understanding the outline before you procure a tagging exercise. Sections 67 to 74 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012 place responsibility for proper financial management, including asset management, on the designated accounting officer of each entity. That responsibility does not transfer to a supplier; a tagging contractor supports the accounting officer's obligation, it does not discharge it.

The National Treasury's General Guidelines on Asset and Liability Management in the Public Sector, issued in March 2020, work toward consolidated national fixed assets and liabilities registers across government. Treasury Circular No. 5 of 2020 addresses the preparation of those registers directly, and entities that report under International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS) carry the associated record-keeping requirements, consistent asset identification, cost or valuation data, and a basis for periodic verification.

We describe this framework here so you can brief us accurately and check our work against it. We are not a legal or audit authority on the PFMA or Treasury circulars, and where your entity has a specific interpretation issue, that is a matter for your accounting officer, internal audit or legal adviser.

Detail

What this means in practice

In most public entities we work with, the accounting officer or an internal audit finding is what triggers the tagging exercise, usually because an audit has flagged assets that cannot be traced to a register line, or a register line that cannot be traced to a physical asset. Our role is to close that gap: give every asset a unique, durable, tamper-evident identifier and produce a register that reconciles to it.

We do not draft your accounting policies or valuation basis. We do build the physical identification layer and, where instructed, the register structure, in a form your auditor can test against your entries.

Detail

What auditors typically raise

These are the findings we see most often when we are called in after an audit, rather than before one.

  • Assets physically present on site with no corresponding register entry
  • Register entries for assets that no longer exist or cannot be located
  • Missing acquisition cost or acquisition date against register lines
  • Assets recorded as group entries ("20 office chairs") instead of individually identified
  • No unique identifier linking a specific asset to a specific register line
  • No evidence of periodic physical verification since the last audit
Detail

How we structure a public sector engagement

The exact scope depends on your procurement route and existing register condition, but the sequence is consistent.

  1. 1

    Scoping and quotation

    We agree asset count, locations and register condition, and issue a written quotation, including any travel costs itemised in full where the site is outside Nairobi.

  2. 2

    Physical verification

    Our team visits site, checks assets against any existing register, and records condition, location and identifying detail for every item found.

  3. 3

    Tagging

    Each verified asset receives a unique, durable tag manufactured to suit its surface and environment, cross-referenced to its register entry.

  4. 4

    Register reconciliation

    We produce a reconciled register showing matched assets, exceptions, and any assets on the old register that could not be located.

  5. 5

    Handover

    You receive the reconciled register in your required format, ready for internal audit or external audit review.

Buyer questions

Questions about asset registers for the Kenyan public sector

Does the PFMA require us to use a specific tagging supplier?

No. Sections 67–74 of the PFMA place the obligation on your accounting officer, not on any named supplier. You are free to procure tagging services from any qualified contractor through your normal procurement process; we simply need to meet your tender requirements.

see our compliance documentation for tenders
Can you guarantee our register will pass audit?

No, and any supplier who says otherwise is overpromising. We can guarantee that every asset we tag gets a unique, durable identifier and that our reconciliation is accurate against what we physically found on the date of verification. Whether the overall register passes audit also depends on valuation, disposal records and controls that sit outside our scope.

What is Treasury Circular No. 5 of 2020 about?

It addresses the preparation of consolidated fixed assets and liabilities registers across public entities, building on the National Treasury's March 2020 General Guidelines on Asset and Liability Management. It sets expectations for register structure and consolidation rather than prescribing a specific tagging technology.

Do you provide the IPSAS-compliant register format directly?

We can structure a register to reflect the identification, cost and location detail IPSAS reporting needs, using our comprehensive register tier at KSh 150 per asset. We are not accountants, so the final accounting treatment and disclosure remains your finance team's responsibility, with our register providing the verified data behind it.

compare our fixed asset register service
How much does a public sector tagging exercise cost?

On-site tagging with a basic register is KSh 60 per asset; tagging with a comprehensive, IPSAS-structured register is KSh 150 per asset, both excluding VAT. On projects of 500 assets or more we include a free barcode or QR scanner on either tier.

see full asset tagging pricing
What if our assets are spread across several counties?

We cover all 47 counties. For sites outside Nairobi we itemise transport, accommodation and subsistence at cost and give you the exact figure before any work begins, so there are no open-ended charges once the project starts. Multi-county organisations can also be scheduled as a single project with one consolidated register.

Is RFID needed for public sector compliance?

No. Barcode and QR identification meets the register-linking requirement auditors look for in the vast majority of public sector registers. RFID is available on a quotation basis for very large or high-security estates needing fast bulk sweeps, but it is a scale decision, not a compliance requirement, so most entities don't need it.

Can you help if we already failed an audit over our asset register?

Yes, that is a common starting point for engagements with us, not an unusual failure. We run a full physical verification against your existing register, flag every mismatch individually, and hand back a reconciled register your internal audit team can present as remediation evidence, along with a written exceptions schedule.

Do you work directly with county governments as well as national entities?

Yes, the same PFMA framework and Treasury guidance apply to county entities as to national government, and our engagement structure is the same regardless of level of government. We scope, verify, tag and reconcile in the same sequence, with travel to any county itemised before work begins as usual.

What payment terms do you offer public entities?

We accept 30-day credit against a valid LPO for institutional buyers, in addition to the standard 50% deposit and balance-on-delivery terms. Credit pricing differs from cash-upfront rates, so confirm which basis your quotation is on before you issue the LPO.

Need another answer? Browse the complete asset tagging FAQ.

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