Eldoret town has moved another step closer to being the country’s fifth city.
This is after the County Assembly of Uasin Gishu adopted a report by the joint Committee of Lands, Housing, Urban and Physical Planning which recommended the town to get the elevation.
The committee chaired by Racecourse MCA Amos Kiptanui had drafted its report following deliberations on recommendations made by the Ad Hoc Commitee for the Conferment of the city status.
While moving the motion to have the report adopted, the Racecourse MCA said the town has met all the threshold set to be a city.
He also pointed out that the elevation will play a key role in the transformation of not only Uasin Gishu County but also the entire North Rift region.
Minimum threshold
Soy MCA Isaac Chirchir seconded the motion affirming that all minimum requirements had been met.
“We have a very good rising population of more thn 500,000 people and during the day 700,000 doing business. That qualifies the first requiremet of the population of at least 250,000,” Chirchir said.
“Eldoret has an elaborate development plan – we have an international airport, hospitals, markets and the best thing coming with the conferment is to expand market areas,” he added.
Majority of the MCAs presented supported the report, noting that it was time Eldoret got the city status.
The report has been adopted barely a month after an ad hoc Commitee recommended the elevation after public participation.
Already the County Executive has adopted the report and sent to the MCAs.
The report will now be returned to the executive for approval before it is send to the Senate for consideration.
Should the Senate agree that Eldoret has come of age to be a city, it will adopt the report and forward to the President to confer the city status.
If approved, Eldoret will follow the footsteps of the most recently elevated city – Nakuru.
Other cities in Kenya are Nairobi, Mombasa and Kisumu.
