CS Lee Kinyanjui slapped with Ksh500K fine for failing to appear before senate committee
By Emmanuel Rono, May 5, 2026The Senate Standing Committee on Trade, Industrialisation and Tourism has fined Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry Lee Kinyanjui half a million after he failed to appear before the committee to update lawmakers on the implementation of County Aggregated Industrial Parks (CAIPs) across the country.
According to a Parliament of Kenya statement on May 5, 2026, the committee had summoned the cabinet secretary to provide a comprehensive status report on the rollout of the industrial parks, a flagship programme aimed at boosting manufacturing at the county level.
“The Senate Standing Committee on Trade, Industrialisation and Tourism has fined the Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry, Hon. Lee Kinyanjui, Ksh500,000 following his failure to appear before the Committee as scheduled. The CS had been invited to provide a comprehensive status update on the implementation of County Aggregated Industrial Parks (CAIPs) across the country,” Parliament of Kenya said in a statement.
Kinyanjui’s absence prompted criticism from Senators, who accused members of the Executive of undermining parliamentary oversight.
The need for fine
According to Senator Mbugua, while proposing the penalty, he said it was important for Cabinet Secretaries to treat parliamentary summons with seriousness and respect.
“The Committee subsequently resolved to impose the fine for failure to honour its summons,” the statement read.
Members of the committee raised concerns over the slow and inconsistent implementation of CAIPs in several counties. Senator Jackson Mandago pointed out that oversight visits revealed significant disparities between funds disbursed and actual work done on the ground.
He noted that in some counties, between 70 and 80 per cent of allocated funds had already been released, yet project completion remained as low as 10 to 20 per cent
He also raised concerns that some county governments had expended funds disbursed by the national government without providing their required counterpart funding, contrary to the agreed framework.
Importance of industrial parks
The committee further emphasised the need for strict adherence to standards in the establishment of the industrial parks, saying this was critical to ensuring quality infrastructure, efficient production systems, and protection of public resources.
In its earlier communication to the Ministry, the Committee had requested a detailed status report on the implementation of CAIPs, including feasibility studies, Environmental Impact Assessment reports and a clear governance and operational framework for the parks.
The Ministry is also required to confirm whether counties have established special-purpose accounts at the Central Bank to facilitate both national and county contributions toward the projects.
Following the Cabinet Secretary’s absence, the Committee issued a fresh summons requiring him to appear before it on May 14, 2026, to respond to the outstanding issues and provide the requested documentation.