The government has stepped up efforts to operationalize the first eight County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs), with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki holding high-level consultations with governors to address outstanding infrastructure gaps.
The meeting brought together governors from Garissa, Embu, Busia, Kisii and Migori counties, alongside the Deputy Governor of Kirinyaga County and Council of Governors Chief Executive Officer Mary Mwiti, as the government seeks to meet agreed timelines for commissioning the industrial parks.
Discussions focused on completing critical infrastructure required to make the parks fully operational, including access roads, electricity, water supply, ICT connectivity, sewerage and waste management systems.
The government says the parks are expected to play a key role in promoting local value addition, attracting investment and creating employment opportunities across the counties once they become fully operational.
The consultations are aimed at identifying and closing the remaining gaps that could delay the commissioning of the first cohort of eight parks, with county and national governments expected to coordinate closely to ensure the necessary infrastructure is completed within the agreed timelines.
The County Aggregation and Industrial Parks programme is designed to bring production, processing and value addition closer to farmers and local producers, enabling counties to develop industries around their available raw materials and economic potential.
Once operational, the parks are expected to provide an environment where agricultural and other locally produced goods can be processed and converted into higher-value products before reaching local and external markets.
The government is also seeking to use the industrial parks to stimulate investment at the county level, expand opportunities for local businesses and support the creation of jobs, particularly in manufacturing and agro-processing.
The latest meeting signals a shift in focus from planning and infrastructure development to ensuring that the investments translate into actual production and economic activity.
With the first cohort of eight parks approaching commissioning, the national and county governments now face pressure to complete the outstanding works and ensure the facilities are not left underutilized after construction.
The government has reiterated that the priority is to close the remaining infrastructure gaps, meet the agreed commissioning timelines and move the projects from infrastructure development into production, investment and job creation.
