President William Ruto has said the government has set aside nearly Sh2.5 billion to equip County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs) established across all 47 counties.
Ruto said the investment is aimed at strengthening local manufacturing, creating jobs and expanding opportunities for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
The President spoke on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, when he hosted MSME traders at State House, Nairobi.
During the meeting, Ruto outlined government measures aimed at supporting local businesses, increasing production and reducing Kenya’s dependence on imported goods.
Ruto said the government had established CAIPs across the country and was now investing in common-user facilities to enable entrepreneurs to manufacture goods locally.
“Tumeanzisha 47 county aggregation and industrial parks in Kenya. We have already put in money, almost. How much? 2.5 billion, ya kuequip those county aggregations and industrial parks,” Ruto said.
He urged traders to take advantage of the infrastructure and shift from importing finished products to manufacturing them locally.
Ruto said both county and national governments had invested in establishing the parks, with the next phase focusing on equipping them with facilities that can be shared by manufacturers.
“Mimi nataka niwaombe wafanya biashara. Tumejenga the parks na pesa ya serikali. County waliweka 250 million … Mimi nikaweka 250 million, National Government. Sasa tunaweka common user facilities,” he said.
The President said the government was prioritising the production of everyday goods that Kenya has traditionally imported.
These include shoes, clothes, furniture and other consumer products.
He said increasing local production would create employment opportunities for young Kenyans while strengthening the economy.
Ruto cited the steel industry as an example of how Kenya could reduce reliance on imported products.
“Leo, steel hapa Kenya, we are exporting steel from Kenya, which we were importing,” he said.
He also pointed to the furniture industry, saying government measures, including taxation on imported furniture, had created greater opportunities for local manufacturers.
“Mimi nikasema hiyo mambo yote ya furniture, tunaweka ushuru. Today we are manufacturing more furniture in Kenya than ever before,” Ruto said.
Ruto said the expansion of manufacturing was also attracting companies to establish operations in Kenya.
He said increased investment would create more employment opportunities while supporting local suppliers and businesses.
The President urged MSMEs to look beyond trading imported goods and explore manufacturing and value addition.
He said the infrastructure being developed through CAIPs would give small businesses an opportunity to produce goods closer to consumers and tap into wider markets.
The parks are also expected to support value addition by providing shared infrastructure that individual small businesses may not be able to afford on their own.
The County Aggregation and Industrial Parks programme is part of the government’s broader Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
The programme seeks to promote manufacturing and value addition at the county level while creating new opportunities for small businesses.
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