Nairobi, June 4 -- Kenya's competition watchdog and the public procurement regulator have stepped up a crackdown on tender cartels accused of inflating the cost of government projects and denying taxpayers value for money.

The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) said it was working more closely with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) to identify and eliminate bid-rigging schemes that distort competition in the award of public contracts.

The move comes as the government seeks to tighten oversight of procurement, which accounts for about 60 percent of public expenditure and remains vulnerable to collusive practices among suppliers.

Bid rigging occurs when firms that are expected to compete for a contract secretly coordin...