Nakuru now a city after Uhuru awards the county a charter

President Uhuru Kenyatta during the world Aids day at Nakuru Athletics in Nakuru on December 1,2021. [Kipsang Joseph, standard]

Nakuru has officially joined Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu in the city rank.

President Uhuru Kenyatta on Wednesday, December 1, awarded a charter to Nakuru Municipality, sealing its city status after years of pursuit.

“Nakuru County Assembly placed a desire to have a city status [in 2018]. The desire was approved by the municipality, county executive committee and the county assembly, then handed to the Senate. [With] all legal criteria satisfied on June 3, [2021], the Senate approved the application and recommendations to give Nakuru a city status,” the president said during his speech at the Nyayo Gardens.

Uhuru said he was happy to hand city status symbol instruments to Governor Lee Kinyanjui. The instruments are a logo, three flags (national, county and city) and seal of the city.

Nakuru’s journey to city status dates back to 2018, when Governor Lee Kinyanjui initiated the process of elevating the county to a city.

After receiving the charter on Wednesday, Kinyanjui said: “The long and often intriguing journey is finally coming to an end. We thank the president for his continued support for the upgrade of Nakuru.”

Besides awarding the charter to Nakuru, President Kenyatta also presided over the opening of a Sh174 million fire station, unveiling of the Nyayo Gardens which had been under rehabilitation since 2019, opening of Kisulisuli market and the commissioning of 605 affordable housing project in Bondeni.

A city board has been put in place to guide Nakuru’s expansion design.

“The new board will take measures to avert mushrooming of slums which may also include exploring legal provisions to expand the city beyond the old Nakuru Municipality boundaries,” said Governor Lee Kinyanjui.

As a city, Nakuru will enjoy, among others, more funding by the National Government.