The origin of Eldoret town – or
rather Eldoret Municipality can be traced back to 1912 when the then colonial
governor established an administrative centre by setting up a Post Office that
was renamed from ‘64’ to the new official name being used to date – ‘Eldoret’.
Eldoret is a name that has an
origin from the Maasai word ‘Eldare’ – in reference to the Sosiani River (Stony
River), but a spelling error led to the name being ‘Eldoret’ instead of‘Eldaret’.
The growth of Eldoret town in
the early years was stimulated by it being an administrative centre that led to
an enormous increase in trade within the prospective city. A bank and several
shops were built.
On November 14th 1912, Eldoret,
with an acreage of 2,770 was officially proclaimed a township.
When the Governor of Kenya, Sir
Robert Coryndon arrived in Eldoret on the first train in 1924, a new era began
for the town and Western Kenya. Goods could now be imported cheaply and farm
produce transported out at competitive rates.
With the rapid growth of the
town due to commercial development, difficulty was experienced in providing
township services. At that time – the responsibility for town services lay with
the District Commissioner, helped by a Township Committee, which had no legal
authority and no way of collecting funds. This led to the elevation of the Eldoret town
to the status of a Municipal board in April 1929.
With the developments that were
brought about by the elevation to a Municipal board, the face of Eldoret was
changing and enhanced civic pride was evident in improved cleanliness, tarmac
roads, public gardens and the provision of social services. The town hall was
built in 1956 and in January 1958 the town was elevated to municipal council
status.
The first Mayor J. Wolston-Beard
was elected and in November 1959, the Governor of Kenya presented the town with
its Charter and Mace.
Eldoret was one of the first
towns in Kenya to elect an African Mayor, Councilor A. N. Oloo who took office
on 2nd September 1963. Eldoret’s Oloo Street was named after him.
By 1964, Eldoret was the fifth
largest town in Kenya and was the administrative capital of Sirikwa County, the largest county in Kenya at the time, with an approximate population of over
550,000 people.
Uasin Gishu district had a
population of roughly 100,663 comprising approximately 1,211 Europeans, 3,804
Asians and 96,524 Africans.
Following the promulgation of
the 2020 Kenyan Constitution, Uasin Gishu County was created under the new
system of governance – devolution with the establishment of a new structure –
County Assembly and County Government.
Under the auspices of the Cities
and Urban Areas Act, the Eldoret Municipality was placed under the management
of the Municipal Board.
The municipality which consists
of all urban areas within Eldoret town has been ranked among the five highly
populated and fastest-growing urban centres in Kenya after Nairobi, Mombasa,
Nakuru and Ruiru – with a population of 475,716
people, as per the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census.
Eldoret is now seeking to be
elevated into a city status – which is just a matter of time before it is
formally gets there.
Baoriat Agencies is committed to helping you find the best place for you to settle in Eldoret town. We walk you through the entire process of acquiring your own property in Eldoret until it has been transferred into your hands
To learn more about buying a property in Eldoret,
Call 0721-554937
WhatsApp https://wa.me/0721-554937
Email evekibet@gmail.com or
Visit us at Juma Hajee Building room number 16, Eldoret town
It's 2010 promulgation not 2020
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