UASIN GISHU, Kenya- On Thursday, August 15, President William Ruto will return to his Uasin Gishu County backyard, perceived as his political bastion, to elevate Eldoret Municipality to city status.
President Ruto served as a Member of Parliament for Eldoret North Constituency between December 1997 and January 2013.
Y News understands that the head of state won the seat through the 1997 General Election after defeating Reuben Chesire.
Following the elevation, Eldoret will become Kenya’s fifth official city after Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, and Nakuru.
The North Rift Economic Bloc (NOREB) warmed up to the move before this historic occasion.
At a conference in Eldoret, the NOREB leadership, led by Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii, praised the bestowment of the city status to the most strategic town, dubbing it a regional city’ that will play a significant role in accelerating the growth of nearby towns such as Iten in Elgeyo Marakwet, Kapsabet in Nandi, and others in terms of promoting economic, cultural, tourism, and other sectors.
What NOREB thinks about Eldoret city status
At the same time, North Rift Economic Bloc (NOREB) Chairman and Nandi Governor Stephen Sang praised the bestowment of the city status to the most strategic town, dubbing it a regional city’ that will play a significant role in accelerating the growth of nearby towns such as Iten in Elgeyo Marakwet, Kapsabet in Nandi, and others in terms of promoting economic, cultural, tourism, and other sectors.
Governor Sang stated that Eldoret Town, becoming a city, is a strategically crucial metropolitan area for everyone since it serves as the region’s centre and place of residence.
“Moving forward, we must elevate with all the stakeholders on board. The next event is not an end in and of itself. The NOREB chairman stated. We are grateful to the first governor of Uasin Gishu for starting the process and to the second governor for coming to a conclusion and finishing that journey,” said Sang.
He continued by saying that everyone involved in the area, including the counties surrounding Eldoret City, will play a part in ensuring the city achieves or maintains its new status rather than just the government.
Governor Sang said: “As the leadership for the entire region, we will work with the stakeholders here to ensure this dream of Eldoret City is achieved.”
According to him, the benefits of the new city will spread over the entire Rift Valley Region and neighbouring NOREB counties, including Elgeyo Marakwet, Trans Nzoia, and the County government of Uasin Gishu.
He told the business community that many opportunities would come in the form of large corporations and hotels as part of the infrastructure needed to support the city’s status as a new one. He also mentioned that they wanted to be involved in the process and would contact the national government to request a marshal plan for infrastructure.
“We need a huge bypass in this town, overflyers in this region, and the airport expansion will mean a lot. I am sure in the next five years, we will be surprised at how this new status will have expanded, and even Nandi, Kitale, Iten, and other towns will grow,” he noted.
How Governor Jonathan Bii reacted to the move
For his part, Governor Bii affirmed his administration’s commitment to receiving the new city status that will open up innumerable business and employment opportunities for the people. He noted that Eldoret is strategically located and serves as the gateway to the western part of Kenya and the neighbouring East African countries, including Uganda, DRC, Rwanda, and Burundi.
“As leaders of Uasin Gishu County, we had various deliberations; we welcome our president as we await our town to be ‘born’ anew as the fifth city in this country,” said the Governor.
He assured the business community of sufficient security and a peaceful environment suitable for business and investment.
“We are very prepared; we have given the business people a waiver on painting their buildings anew and also beautifying their business premises as they welcome the new city status,” he noted.
The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI), Uasin Gishu Chapter Chairman, Willy Kenei, told Y News that Eldoret will be transformed, and the members of the business community will be the primary beneficiaries as a result of many investors coming, extensive infrastructural development, and many other benefits, including the hospitality industry.
“I want to urge the business community in Eldoret to take advantage of the ten days waiver by the County government to make the required renovation to beautify Eldoret to fit the city status through painting with the recommended colours, for they will not be charged for the renovation fee,” he said.
What ELDOWAS is doing to supply water in Eldoret
Eldoret Water and Sewerage Services Company (ELDOWAS) Managing Director Peter Biwott told Y News that the national government had allocated KSh 20 million towards rehabilitating the Two Rivers Dam.
“The project, which will be built starting early in 2024, will be a game changer in mitigating water rationing,” Biwott said. Biwott revealed that the national government will implement the project in line with the Kenyan legal framework. Biwott said the national government will implement the project through the North Rift Valley Water Works Development Agency.
“The project will increase capacity to 74 million litres of water per day in distribution. Through this, Eldoret will be self-sufficient in its water supply for the next century. That is why this is very important,” he explained.
The rehabilitation will involve upgrading and reconstructing an existing dam on the Kipsinende River, on the outskirts of Eldoret Town.
