Mbadi: Infrastructure fund to benefit all regions, dismisses bias claims

Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Finance has moved to reassure Parliament and regional stakeholders that a newly proposed infrastructure fund will distribute resources equitably across all county administrations, directly addressing longstanding concerns about development inequality that have historically plagued the East African economy. The announcement represents a significant pivot in Kenya's infrastructure financing strategy, coming at a time when the government seeks to accelerate economic growth through targeted capital investment. For European investors and businesses operating across Kenya's diverse markets, this initiative carries profound implications for market accessibility, logistics networks, and long-term commercial viability in underserved regions. **Background: Infrastructure as Economic Leveller** Kenya's infrastructure development has traditionally concentrated around major urban centers—particularly Nairobi, Mombasa, and Kisumu—leaving vast swathes of the country with inadequate transportation networks, limited power connectivity, and underdeveloped telecommunications infrastructure. This geographic concentration has created artificial market barriers and constrained the expansion potential for foreign enterprises seeking to diversify operations beyond established commercial hubs. European manufacturers, agricultural businesses, and logistics operators have repeatedly cited infrastructure gaps as primary obstacles to market penetration in peripheral regions. The proposed infrastructure fund addresses this structural challenge by establishing a dedicated financing mechanism designed to channel capital toward roads, ports, power systems, and