PREMIUM Revealed: Sh23.5bn pumped into industrial parks may have gone down the drain Industry PS Dr Juma Mukhwana says national government lacks oversight powers over the billions. Counties Just now Listen

Photo credit: Lucy Wanjiru | Nation Media Group Dr Mukhwana’s hard-hitting admissions saw the National Assembly Committee on Public Accounts (PAC) request Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu to undertake a special audit into the utilization of the funds and whether the massive investment yielded good value for public funds.5 billion invested across 47 counties for the County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) projects may have gone down the drain due to fears of stalled and delayed completion, with Industry Principal Secretary Dr Juma Mukhwana disclosing that the national government lacks oversight powers over the billions.

Each park is funded through an intergovernmental partnership framework where the national government through the Ministry of Investments, Trade and Industry (MITI) contributes Sh250 million, matched by another Sh250 million from the respective county government, aggregating Sh500 million per county.