The government is speeding up completion of County Aggregation and Industrial Parks which are set to be catalysts for the nation’s industrialization, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has affirmed.
The CAIPs are coming up in most counties across the country with eight nearing completion and in line for commission by the end of the year.
Prof. Kindiki on Wednesday morning at the Official Residence in Karen, Nairobi held a meeting with the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment officials led by Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui, respective Governors and officials from relevant agencies to check on the progress of the CAIPs ahead of their opening.
“CAIPs are the first step towards industrialization. They provide for aggregation, value addition and provide the foundation for the first steps towards manufacturing. All the countries we are looking up to-South Korea, Malaysia and China grew their economies through value addition and cottage industries,” DP noted.
The eight CAIPs are in Embu, Meru, Wajir, Garissa, Kirinyaga, Busia, Kisii and Migori counties.
The Deputy President said the national government, through the Ministry, is working closely with the counties to finalize the completion emphasizing their importance in boosting the country’s manufacturing goals.
“The eight counties have made tremendous steps and progress towards finalization of their CAIPs. We have resolved that they are assisted through a centralized equipment procurement programme to equip their CAIPs for commission before the end of the year,” he stated.
Prof. Kindiki also noted that the Ministry has developed guidelines on operationalization of CAIPs to ensure uniformity and strict observance of standards required before they are commissioned.
The Ministry and respective county governments will also engage in a thorough technical assessment before operationalization.
The DP said the establishment of common-user facilities needed before they are cleared for use will be hastened, asking relevant agencies to ensure necessary infrastructure for water, electricity, roads and waste management among others are in place.
Further, Kindiki said the country has entered into various trade agreements with many countries in Europe, Asia among others challenging the counties to take advantage of them to export products from their CAIPs.
“We have signed many trade agreements that have opened market access for Kenyan products. Some of them are quota-free and others are tariff-free like China.”
As the eight are finalized, the Deputy President urged the other counties to accelerate their construction, promising necessary support from the national government.
“We request every county to prioritize not only the construction of CAIPs but also their operationalization as a way of making the county competitive and improving Kenya’s competitiveness. These are the engines that will take us to where we want Kenya to go,” he said.
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