Machakos’ County Aggregation and Industrial Park was 76.5 per cent complete in July, with September 30 set as the target for completion as the government accelerates the wider CAIP programme.
Machakos’ KSh500 million County Aggregation and Industrial Park (CAIP) is racing toward its September 30 completion target.
The project sits in Mua Ward, within Machakos New Town. A July inspection found the facility 76.5 per cent complete, according to the Kenya News Agency Report in July.
The progress comes as the national government pushes counties to speed up work on their industrial parks.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki said that the government was accelerating CAIP construction and operationalization.
He said eight parks were nearing completion. The government expects to commission them before the end of 2026.
The eight counties are Embu, Meru, Wajir, Garissa, Kirinyaga, Busia, Kisii and Migori.
Machakos does not appear on that list. However, its CAIP has a separate September completion target.
KSh500M project
The Machakos CAIP has a total budget of KSh500 million.
The National Government and Machakos County Government are each expected to contribute KSh250 million.
During the July inspection, officials said the National Government had completed its contribution.
Machakos County had remitted KSh126 million towards its share at the time, according to the Kenya News Agency.
The project team reported progress on several major facilities.
These include a cold room and eight warehouses. Each warehouse covers about 1,000 square metres.
Workers had also completed about 95 per cent of the boundary wall during the inspection.
The remaining work included civil works, access roads, footpaths, parking areas and mechanical and electrical installations.
What the park will offer
The CAIP aims to help farmers aggregate, store and process agricultural produce.
The facility will also support value addition and improve links between producers and markets.
Project officials identified fresh produce and pulses among the value chains the park could support.
The facility could also help farmers reduce post-harvest losses. Better storage and processing facilities may allow producers to keep their goods for longer and seek better markets.
County Assistant Director for Investment Promotion Tina Kiio said the facility would attract agro-processing firms, producers and aggregators to Machakos.
September deadline
The latest national push gives renewed attention to the Machakos project.
Deputy President Kindiki said the government wants counties to move their CAIPs from construction to full operation. The programme also includes common-user facilities and equipment for the parks.
For Machakos, the immediate test is the September 30 completion target.
The project still has construction work to finish before it can serve farmers and agro-processing businesses.
County development documents also list the Mua Ward-Mikuyu CAIP among projects for construction, equipping and operationalization.
Machakos residents will now be watching whether the county can complete the remaining work on time.
The September deadline could mark an important step in the county’s plans to expand agro-processing, value addition and market access.
