The Council of Governors’ chairman Martin Wambora says Eldoret town is ripe for conferment of city status.
Eldoret has been pushing for the city status for a while now, and the process is at its final stages.
Speaking to the press during a courtesy visit to Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago on Monday, June 27, 2022, the Embu Governor said Eldoret had registered tremendous development in the last few years.
“I am impressed by the city. It is very clean and very green, the infrastructures are good. It should be the next city in Kenya,” Wambora said.
“You deserve it, the people of Eldoret deserve this city,” he added.
Kenya currently has only four cities – the country’s capital Nairobi, the coastal Mombasa, lakeside Kisumu and Nakuru which was elevated in 2021.
Eldoret is now in contention for the fifth city.
“Eldoret has really grown a lot since the last time I visited. I have seen wonderful hotels, wonderful people, and historic buildings…,” said the CoG boss.
Among the infrastructures that are making Eldoret be in contention for city status is the Eldoret International Airport, whose construction works were, coincidentally, approved at the time Governor Wambora was a deputy secretary in the office of the then President, the late Daniel Moi.
When the idea of an airport was floated, Wambora says some individuals opposed it saying the town was too hilly.
“When the issue of the airport came up, we took it in vigour and interest. Some people were saying it’s very hilly and that, big plans cannot land, but we came with a jet and it landed very well,” the governor said.
“Even for cargo planes getting flowers to Europe from this airport is possible,” he added.
Mandago had acknowledged Wambora’s contribution to the setting up of the Eldoret International Airport.
“I’m sure you have enjoyed your flight and landing contrary to claims the airport was a white elephant that would only be used to transport cow dung,” he noted, while introducing the CoG boss to address a media briefing.
Construction of Eldoret international airport was started in 1995 after the government acquired land from East African Extract Company (E.A.T.E.C).
It is located 16 kilometres south of Eldoret Town on the Eldoret-Kisumu road.
Eldoret International Airport was built with the vision of achieving accelerated economic growth, through integration and opening up of the Western region to local and international markets. The airport is also expected to promote the exploitation of the rich tourism circuit of Western Kenya, which is largely unexploited.
