The National Assembly Public Accounts Committee has raised concerns over the delayed implementation of County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs) in several counties despite the allocation and transfer of billions of shillings for the projects.
The Committee, chaired by Butere MP Tindi Mwale, raised the concerns when it scrutinised the State Department for Industry over issues highlighted in the Auditor-General’s reports for the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 financial years.
Principal Secretary for the State Department for Industry Dr Juma Mukhwana, accompanied by senior officials from the department and its agencies, appeared before the Committee to respond to the audit queries.
The Auditor-General’s report flagged the non-implementation of some CAIP projects despite the allocation of funds intended to facilitate their development.
According to the audit report, the State Department transferred Sh6.25 billion to other government entities, including Sh2.9 billion to county governments, to support the implementation of various projects.
However, a review of the progress report showed that five counties—Nyamira, Mombasa, Murang’a, Nakuru and Nandi—received an additional Sh263.16 million despite facing challenges that delayed the commencement of their respective CAIP projects.
The Committee warned that failure to implement the projects within the planned timelines could undermine service delivery and deny intended beneficiaries the economic opportunities expected from the industrial parks.
Dr Mukhwana told the MPs that the State Department’s role in the CAIP programme was primarily limited to monitoring and evaluation, while the actual implementation of the projects falls under the respective county governments.
“Responsibility for the actual implementation rests solely with the respective County Governments,” Mukhwana said.
The PS, however, said the State Department remained committed to monitoring the progress of the projects and supporting counties to ensure they are implemented.
He informed the Committee that the latest monitoring exercise was conducted in February 2026, with the findings published in March 2026.
Members of the Committee, led by Mwale, nevertheless challenged the State Department to strengthen its oversight and ensure that counties do not undertake the projects without adequate monitoring by the national government.
“The national government has invested significantly in the establishment of the parks. Monitoring of the projects should not be done by county governments alone,” Mwale said.
The Committee subsequently demanded a comprehensive status report detailing the implementation progress of all CAIP projects across the country.
Mukhwana committed to submit the report to the Committee within one week.
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