- Kindiki wants counties to speed up completion of industrial parks to drive value addition.
- He says all county allocations due up to August have been released.
- Counties have also been urged to prepare early for the expected El Nino rains.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has urged county governments to prioritise the completion of County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs), citing their critical role in Kenya’s industrialisation agenda.
The DP said CAIPs will play a pivotal role in realising Vision 2060, insisting the facilities are important as the country sets its sights beyond Vision 2030.
Kindiki revealed that CAIPs in Embu, Meru, Kirinyaga, Kisii, Wajir, Garissa and Migori are almost complete, and challenged other devolved units to speed up completion of the projects in their respective counties.
“As we look for a vision Kenya beyond 2030, CAIPs are the centre of the realisation of the vision. They are the first step to industrialisation. If we want to create an industrialised nation, CAIPs are crucial in value addition and aggregation,” said the DP.
Speaking as he chaired the 30th Intergovernmental Budget and Economic Council (IBEC) Ordinary Session at the Official Residence in Karen, Nairobi, the second-in-command lauded the National Treasury for releasing funds to county governments on time. He said the move will enable the 47 devolved units to deliver services without financial constraints.
The DP assured Kenyans that the Government had fulfilled its promise to avoid delays in disbursing county allocations, noting that all equitable share payments due to counties had been released up to August.
“I am happy to note that, despite the fiscal constraints we are facing as a country, the National Treasury disbursed all the amounts due to county governments as part of the equitable share by the close of the financial year. We have also released July and August allocations,” said Kindiki.
Prof Kindiki hailed the governors for supporting the Affordable Housing Programme by providing land for projects.
He said the speedy passage of the Division of Revenue Bill, 2026, and the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, 2026, in Parliament had since been enacted.
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The legislation paves the way for the release of county funds, with the equitable share allocation increasing to Ksh428 billion in the current financial year.
Prof Kindiki attributed the progress to interventions made through IBEC, which brings together the national and county governments to address issues affecting devolution.
“We have made significant progress in most of our resolutions. This demonstrates that IBEC is increasingly becoming a results-oriented institution, where decisions are followed through and translated into interventions that benefit our citizens,” he said.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi attended the meeting, with Prof Kindiki commending him for efforts to speed up the release of county funds.
He urged the Ministry of Lands, the Council of Governors, county governments and other agencies to maintain cooperation to resolve outstanding land-related issues and prevent delays in housing projects.
Council of Governors chairman Ahmed Abdullahi said governors remained committed to constructive engagement with the national government through IBEC.
“We want to discuss and resolve all issues amicably to have a well-cooperated two levels of government,” said the COG chairman.
The meeting comes as the Government seeks to strengthen intergovernmental relations and ensure counties have the resources required to implement development programmes and deliver essential services to citizens.
By John Majau
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