An ad hoc committee constituted to consider recommendations for Eldoret to be elevated to the city status will in the next few days hold a series of public engagements.
The engagements aim to collect views from members of the public and other stakeholders over the planned elevation of Eldoret from a town to a city.
According to a public notice seen by Uasin Gishu News, the engagements that will be held between October 24, 2022, and November 9, 2022, will see the committee separately meet county and national government departments, public universities and institutions of higher learning as well as stakeholders in the transport sector.
The business community, agriculture sector and youths are some of the other groups that will also have separate sessions with the committee.
“In compliance with section 22 of Citizens’ For and Second Schedule of the UACA on rights of, and participation by residents in affairs on their urban area, the public is hereby notified and invited for the public engagement to be held at the Municipal Social Hall (Eldoret West)…” read part of the notice.
Oral, and written submissions
Participants will be allowed to make oral submissions during public engagements. However, written submissions should have been submitted to the committee or the Eldoret Municipality manager electronically via mail by close of business on October 9, 2022.
The upcoming public engagement is one of the last steps remaining before Eldoret gets approved to be a city.
Eldoret’s journey to be a city began in 2019 when the County Government of Uasin Gishu established the Eldoret Municipality. Later, having been satisfied that the municipality met all the requirements under the Urban and Cities Act to be a city, the board passed a resolution and applied to the County Executive Committee for elevation to the city status.
The executive committee chaired by the governor approved the application and the county boss constituted an ad hoc committee to consider recommendations and advise appropriately.
According to the Urban and Cities Act, for an urban area to be classified as a city, it must have infrastructural facilities like roads, street lighting, markets, fire stations, waste disposal and disaster management capacity.
They must also have integrated development plans and demonstrate the capacity to generate sufficient revenue to sustain operations.
Other requirements include a population of at least 500,000 residents as per the final gazetted results of the last population census.
Eldoret has met almost all the requirements and currently, it is the fastest-growing town in Kenya with 475,716 people according to the 2019 National Census.
It was on course to be named Kenya’s fourth city but was edged out by Nakuru in 2021.
