Eldoret town in Uasin Gishu county is on the verge of becoming the fifth city in Kenya. This is after the Uasin Gishu county assembly approved a report from an ad hoc committee recommending conferring the town with city status. The effort to upgrade the town to a city is now just two steps away from becoming a reality.
The county assembly’s ratification of the report has made it possible for Eldoret Town Municipality to join Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Kisumu and become Kenya’s fifth-largest city.
The steps remaining are forwarding to the Senate for review, and if approved, the report will be sent to President William Ruto for approval to confer the town with a city charter.
The member of county assembly for racecourse ward, Amos Kiptanui, moved the motion, stating that making Eldoret a city would significantly alter the North Rift Region’s economy. After gathering opinions from the public, the ad hoc subcommittee delivered its findings to Governor Jonathan Bii in early April.
According to the committee, 5.8% of people wanted the plan postponed until a number of issues were resolved, including the expected rise in land rates and the expansion of municipal boundaries into rural regions.
“There were fears that land rates will be increased if Eldoret is elevated to a city. We had to explain that land rates are increased after adequate public participation,” Said Mr. Kenei, the chair of the ad hoc committee.
“Those who gave their views to the committee raised concerns about traffic jams and lack of parking spaces within Eldoret town. We need to look into this, so that we can become one of the best cities in the region.” He added
According to Uasin Gishu Governor Bii, once the town is upgraded, it will draw more investors and finance, in addition to raising the county’s profile abroad.
