Uphill task for a town that shuts down at 9pm to compete as city

An aerial view of Eldoret City in Uasin Gishu County. August 18, 2024. [Peter Ochieng, Standard]

Mixed reactions have greeted the recent elevation of Eldoret to city status as some residents claim what is deemed as progress spells doom for a majority of them.

They claim they risk facing huge taxes associated with city elevation.

The new city is bustling, with its towering skyscrapers standing as monuments of progress.

Walking through the winding streets, one can easily feel the weight of more than a century of history, which culminated in elevation to a city 12 days ago.

From one of the tallest buildings in Eldoret, you can get a glimpse of some of the oldest hotels such as Wagon Wheel, which hosted white settlers before independence as well as Uasin Gishu County headquarters.

The old buildings remind you of the history of a city that locals call Sisibo, a corrupted word for Sixty Four (farm 64).

On the horizon are expansive maize fields reaching as far as Soy, Moiben, Kapseret, and Kesses.

Two stadiums,  Kipchoge Keino and Sixty Four, are both under construction and are symbols of the city’s sports heritage.

Eldoret has been known as the City of Champions for producing several world beaters in athletics.

It officially became the country’s fifth city after a conferment ceremony presided over by President William Ruto on August 15.

Residents have welcomed the new city status but are thirsting for more.

Others expressed fears of a possible rise in land rates, cost of property, and living.

William Getumbe, a resident, welcomed the town’s elevation to a city, saying it was long overdue. He, however, wants improved drainage and sewerage systems because the existing infrastructure would likely be overwhelmed by the increasing population.

“The town has to relook at its drainage and sewerage systems because we have not seen new sewerage lines during our preparations to become a city. With the increasing population, our sewerage systems are a recipe for disaster,” said Getumbe.

Dickson Busienei, a worker in Eldoret also welcomed the conferment of city status and said the city of champions had met the requirements to attain the elevation.

Busienei said, apart from hosting prominent farmers, the city of Eldoret was home to top county officials including governors from North Rift counties.

“The City of Eldoret prides itself in an adequate supply of water. Although the roads are not perfect, it still deserves city status. Governors and many top county officials from North Rift Counties are residents of Eldoret,” Busienei said.

A resident who only identified himself as Onesmus said the new city should devise ways of promoting a 24-hour economy.

Onesmus, a businessman in the new city, proposed more street lights in areas not covered by security lighting infrastructure to give traders room to operate longer at night.

“After 9pm, Eldoret becomes a ghost town, save for nightclubs and a few restaurants. Supermarkets and other businesses close by 9pm. As a new city, we have a lot of ground to cover to attain the status that a city deserves" Said  the businessman.

“Eldoret does not have a flyover and pedestrians cross roads anywhere. It would have been better if we had flyovers and dual carriageways for enhanced road safety and transport,” the businessman said.

He asked Uasin Gishu residents, most of them farmers, to settle in the new city instead of spending their daytime in it, only to retreat to their villages in the evening.

Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry said the new city has the potential for industrial growth. Uasin Gishu chapter chairman Willy Kenei said raw materials from agricultural products were enough to support viable value addition.

“We have two public universities and private institutions of higher learning, and that means that the city has readily available labour. We have the best climate in the region and that means the town can attract more visitors and investors,” Kenei said.

The Uasin Gishu County government says the recent commissioning of Mama Rachel Ruto Maternity Hospital would improve healthcare in the new city.

Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) CEO Philip Kirwa says the facility was improving the provision of healthcare services as it gears for the new status.

“We are going to have open heart surgeries and other cardiac procedures," Dr Kirwa said.

Governor Jonathan Bii said the county was banking on proposed aggregated industrial parks to grow Eldoret’s economy and job creation.

“The County Aggregation Industrial Park in Moiben is nearing completion, and the Export Processing Zone at Cherunya is progressing well,” the Governor said.

Bii said he was increasing local revenue through a foolproof digital system, and the county was capable of running the new city.

“In line with the Digital Economy, the Sisibo pay system has revolutionised revenue collection, enabling us to achieve a record Sh1.4 billion in Own Source Revenue,” the governor said.

Unlike other Kenyan cities, Eldoret is one city without traffic lights. Motorists who saw the first traffic lights in the town in the 1990s claimed it witnessed rampant accidents as they could not observe signs.