Five years after poll chaos, Eldoret has never been better

An aerial view of Eldoret town. [PHOTOS: KEVIN TUNOI/STANDARD]

Eldoret is fast shedding off the post-election violence hot spot tag and is gearing for economic take off, writes Edwin Cheserek and Vincent Bartoo

Today, nothing betrays the events of 2007/2008 when Eldoret town became the epicentre of the violence that rocked the country after the bungled presidential polls then.

Instead, things are looking up with investor confidence high, going by the real estate developments, either complete or currently ongoing.

Eldoret is a strategic town in the North Rift region, which initially served as an agricultural hub but has since been transformed from a sleepy town into a financial empire.

Brand Kenya, a Government body mandated to sell the image of the country abroad, recently gave the county a clean bill of health and identified Eldoret as among Kenya’s ‘Smart County Cities’.

This vote of confidence led to Eldoret being picked to host the final conference on image and destination branding organised by Brand Kenya in late November. The forum brought together city and town managers from 19 counties in upper Rift Valley, Western Kenya and Siaya.

Rebranding

Brand Kenya Marketing Manager Dr Nzilu Musyoki said Eldoret won back its image as an investment hub after a series of successful peace campaigns carried out to rebrand the region following the post-poll chaos.

“Eldoret town has now attained the status of a smart county city open to investment and social cohesion,” he said during the forum held at an Eldoret hotel.

Clement Bowen, a Building and Civil engineer admits Eldoret skyline has changed dramatically.

“Eldoret is today the heart of a number of financial empires. It was once a just a sleepy backwater town in an upcountry farming community that never hit the headlines other than on matters pertaining to food,” says Clement.

Apart from the real estate developments, financial institutions have landed in Eldoret competing to set up base in the town. From less than ten banking institutions in the town some five years ago, the number has since increased to 43 today.

The banks are seeking to tap from the booming real estate development, farming and increasing number of learning institutions.

Eldoret has cut itself another niche of becoming an educational destination owing to its conducive environment for learning.

“Eldoret is very convenient. Food is cheap, houses are affordable and the weather is said to be the best in the world — there are no extremes,” said Francis Werunga, a student at Moi University.

Hillary Kiboinett, the Managing Director Sweetland Consultants — a company specialising in real estate, said the increased number of banks has bolstered property boom in the town. “Coupled with the population increase, the banks have also come up with flexible credit that has spurred development of the town by all cadres of people,” he said.

Hillary added that Eldoret is fast transforming from a once agricultural town to a modern city. “Many of the old buildings are being demolished to pave way for construction of modern storeyed ones. Eldoret is now on the go,” he says.

The recent resumption of flights by Kenya Airways to the Eldoret International Airport has added to the town’s economic growth. The resumption, after a nine-year break, is testament to the renewed status of Eldoret as a destination for upper class investors and professionals.

The planned construction of a Sh40 billion Sergoit Golf and Wildlife Resort on the outskirts of Eldoret is another major vote of confidence in the town’s economic prospects.

Ground breaking for the project was done in October last year. The resort is a major boost to the equally fast growing hospitality industry in the area.

 The annual Kass International Marathon held in Eldoret has also served to strengthen the town’s recent branding as ‘The City of Champions’. The one-day marathon now attracts both investors and tourists who leave the town with an estimated Sh50 million in prize money and service industry expenditures by the several companies that sponsor the race.

Over the years, the town’s profile continued to tower on with the upcoming athletes who have invested the hard earned dollars in the sector.

But with such growth, comes  challenges that Eldoret, just like any other major town, is grappling with.

For instance, investors in the town are working round the clock to meet the ever-increasing housing demands to match with population pressure. For a town that has a population of more than 2.5million, provision adequate housing remains a challenge that could take time to resolve.

Universities

Consequently, universities operating in the town have sought to engage local investors to put up hostel facilities for the overspill of students who fail to secure accommodation within their premises.

In the outskirts of the town, residential houses are increasingly being converted into offices, especially in Elgon View, Kapsoya and Pioneer Estates due to limited, but expensive office space within the  Central Business District (CBD)

Clement, who is also a contractor further says the demand for office space has grown exponentially and resulted in construction of new buildings. “The emergence of multi-storey modern buildings in the town is due to multiplying effect as a result of stimulation of one sector by another,” he says.

He adds: “The developments are a boon to local investors because service industry expands rapidly to meet the increasing demands by the working class.”

 Isaac Samoei Kibet, Chairman Town Planning and Works Eldoret Municipality, discloses that major construction plans applications stands at 200 per month, up from 60 a few years back.

“Initially, the town was an agricultural hub but has since changed to be more commercial attracting hundreds of potential investors,” he says.

Infrastructure is, however, a challenge. Congestion within the town’s CBD has stuck out as a major problem, frustrating investors as is with the town’s poor drainage system and dilapidated access roads.

Eldoret Town Clerk, Stanslaus Ondimu, attributes traffic congestion in the town to one highway passing through the town and lack of basement parking in the buildings constructed.

He says while planning requirement demanded that all basements should be reserved for parking, most buildings had no basements, while others had turned them into business premises. “Many investors seek approval from the council just for formality only to make some alterations without prior consultations,” says Stanslaus.

He says action by the council to enforce the planning and safety code has been met by resistance after the matter was politicised. “But we will not relent because this developments are not good for the proper growth of this town,” he adds.