Ruto set to award city charter to Eldoret
Uasin Gishu County has stepped up activities in the race to meet the conditions ahead of the award of the charter for city status in April 2024.
Public Service County executive Elijah Kosgei said among other things, the county is working towards having a monument situated at the Eldoret town business district.
“We are finalizing the design of the monument which will be placed in front of the county headquarters. This will be in place within the next two months before the award of the charter,” explained Mr Kosgei.
The county official confirmed that President William Ruto is expected to award the charter for the elevation of the Eldoret municipality as the country’s fifth city in the month of April, 2024, noting that they have already formed a team to spearhead a series of activities.
He also disclosed that they are keen to set up a national museum to act as the repository of the rich culture and heritage of the communities in the country.
“We are in discussions with the Kenya Wildlife Services to consider having the museum inside the arboretum. As a county we are privileged to be considered for the city status as we will work round the clock to make it a reality,” explained the executive.
Mr Kosgei also stated that the devolved unit was working to upgrade the Burnt Forest and Moi-Bridge township as the municipalities as they have met the requirement of having a population of more than 10,000.
He explained that the devolved unit was determined to have affordable housing units for the locals and its staff.
“Recently, President Ruto launched 20,000 affordable housing units which will go a long way to ensure decent housing for residents. We are also working on a scheme so that the county employees can get a housing unit,” explained the executive.
At the same time, the county is also working to re-organize the matatu terminuses in the Eldoret CBD to ease movement of locals as the town moves towards city status.
The Eldoret Municipality was also awarded the excellence award, recognizing the achievements in providing ample road infrastructure, establishing an effective emergency response system, offering quality healthcare facilities, and hosting one of the nation’s largest airports, Eldoret International Airport.
Eldoret town boasts of the iconic and landmark buildings that include the Barngetuny Plaza, Kiptagich, KVDA, Daima Plaza among others.
The town is also the fifth largest town in the country after Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru cities and serves as an artery linking Kenya to East African countries such as Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.
The urban center is also one of the country’s traditional food baskets that produce maize and wheat and other crops. Its economy is reliant on agricultural activities.
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