Gov’t to allocate Ksh.250M for industrial and aggregation parks to remaining 29 counties

The national government will allocate a grant of Ksh.250 million to the remaining 29 counties for the implementation of County Industrial and Aggregation Parks (CAIPs), President William Ruto has said.

Speaking on Monday during the tenth Inter-Governmental Summit meeting at State House Nairobi, Ruto said the grant will be facilitated through the supplementary budget in the 2023/24 financial year.

“We also aim to fast-track the signing of financing agreements for negotiated programmes like Kenya Urban Support Programme II, facilitating inclusion in the Additional Allocation Bill 2023/24,” the president added.

CAIPs are being put up under a joint funding framework with the national and county governments contributing Ksh.250 million each.

President Ruto termed them a mark of good inter-governmental collaboration to enable transformation across value chains.

“We are united in the vision that the CAIPs shall propel local economic growth, ensuring value addition, market linkages and industrialisation,” he said.

Further, President Ruto instructed the Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee (IGRTC), which is tasked with analysing all the devolved functions according to the constitution, to thoroughly engage all relevant stakeholders to avoid conflicts and acrimonious litigation in court.

The analysis entailed unbundling of functions and the identification of necessary legislative interventions necessary to facilitate the performance of the functions and provision of necessary resources.

“I shall therefore require them to engage with the stakeholders for a further two months to validate and approve the reports before they are gazetted. The Office of the Attorney General is also directed to work very closely with IGRTC on this matter,” President Ruto stated.

Monday’s meeting was attended by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Council of Governors chairperson Ann Waiguru, who is also the vice-chair of the summit, governors and speakers of the National Assembly and the Senate.

Leaders of the majority in Parliament, the Attorney General, cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries were also present.