Eldoret

Eldoret has a number of estates. Estates vary in that some are posh and others are residents of the middle-class community. Almost every estate has its own identity. Some of the estates include Elgon View, Langas, Kapseret, Huruma, Kapsoya, Shauri, Kipkorgot, Kahoya, West Indies, West, Kipkaren, Kimumu, Jerusalem, Annex, Mwanzo, Action, Mailinne, Pioneer, Outspan, Kiplombe, Kamkuji, Samar, Silas, Kenya Service, Cheplaskei, Chinese, Roadie, Peris, Junction, Munyaka, Road Block, Hillside among many others.

The town has a vibrant textile industry that is led by Ken Knit (Kenya). It is the first, fully integrated textile manufacturing company in East and Central Africa and has been based in Eldoret for close to 50 years. It is Kenya's leading manufacturer of wool products and with a workforce of 2,000, is presently the largest textile related employer in the North-Rift.[19]

Another notable textile firm is Rivatex EA which was opened in 1975 by then Vice President, Daniel Toroitich arap Moi as Rift Valley Textiles (Rivatex), a parastatal that was the first Kenyan textile mill to operate computerized mills. It quickly became a success, achieving profitability within three years while employing 400 people and consuming 3,000 tons of cotton a year at its peak. By the late 1990s, the liberalization of Kenya's market which led to massive imports of cheap used clothing coupled with mismanagement led to the decline of the country's textile industry. Rivatex in Eldoret was placed under receivership in 1998 and finally shut its doors in 2000.[20]

The town of Eldoret, through Moi University and its subsidiary firm Rivatex, has played a leading role in the revival of the Kenyan textile industry.[20][21]

The defunct Rivatex was purchased from the Government of Kenya in 2007 by Moi University as a facility for research, product development, extension and production. The university identified the high cost of imported dyes as a factor affecting profitability. This was resolved in 2008, when Prof Richard Mibey, invented the Tami Dye, a natural dye made from Mexican Marigold which was previously considered a weed in the surrounding regions. The university holds the patent to this dye.[20]

Being able to produce affordable dye in Kenya has been a key contributing factor to the revival of Rivatex East Africa and the wider Kenyan textile industry.[21] The university won a $60 million grant from the World Bank to carry out a face-lift as a result of the work on the Tami Dye. It also secured a pledged investment of $40 million from the Indian Government.[20]

In mid-2019, Rivatex, reopened following major renovations and restructuring. As part of this effort, it opened a Digital Assembly Plant with the capacity to produce laptops, tablets, electric meters, smartphones and other digital devices.[22]

The city is host to the Moi Barracks for the Kenya Defence Forces. The barracks has a memorial for Kenyan soldiers killed in battle in Somalia. The city is also home to the Kenya Ordnance Factories Corporation, a military installation that is the only manufacturer of small arms and ammunition in the region. Its customers include the Kenya Police, Wildlife Service, the Army, licensed dealers and carriers as well as friendly governments.

The Toyota Tsusho Corporation built Kenya's first full scale fertilizer blending factory at Ngeria on the outskirts of Eldoret.[23] The $15 million plant has the capacity to produce 150,000 tonnes per year which is 25% of Kenya's 600,000 annual requirement.[24]

In early 2019, Safaricom, Kenyas largest mobile network operator, set up its second largest call center, and its first outside Nairobi,[25] in Eldoret town. The Kshs 900 million facility provides employment to 800 individuals of whom 300 are paid interns from local universities.[26]

The town is also home to the MGW site, located at Kapsoya, the first of Safaricom's data centers in the North Rift, set up in 2015.[27]

Eldoret has traditionally not been known as a tourist destination and does not have much to differentiate it from Kenya's other highland centres. Being Kenya's fifth-largest city however, it is a great deal bigger and serves as a base for touring the North-Rift circuit. The city has a decent variety of accommodation options, notably the Sirikwa Hotel,[28] Poa Place[29] and the ultra-modern Boma Inn[30] as well as enough night-life options to interest one for an evening or two.[31]

Koitalel Arap Samoei Mausoleum and Museum in Nandi Hills; a historic monument located close to Eldoret

The city and surrounding regions has also lately grown into a sports tourism destination thanks to a number of resident, renowned world runners and a high-altitude that makes the local area suitable for athletics training.[18]

Notable attractions within easy distance of Eldoret include the Nandi Hills area to the south, home of the Nandi, the fiercest early opponents to British rule. It is also the home of the Chemosit, a crypto-beast that is said to devour human brains.[31]

Paraglading in Elgeyo Marakwet

To the north lies the town of Iten, capital of Elgeyo Marakwet county and the world's foremost source of elite-middle and long distance runners. It is a popular destination for foreigners looking to hone their athletics talent[32] and time at its high altitude training centers form part of a number of elite athletes training regimens. Notably, altitude training here was a key element of Mo farah's preparations before his 5000m and 10000m gold medals at London 2012 and World Championships 2013.[33]

Elgeyo Marakwet is also increasingly gaining a global reputation as a paragliding destination. It has become the place to go to fly 100–200 km out-and-returns in January with world records across both distances having been set in the Kerio Valley in 2013 and 2014 respectively.[34]

The city is home to many retail stores, supermarket chains and various malls including Rupa Mall and Zion Mall. The City hosts various MSMEs located in various notable building such as Komora Centre, Zul Arcade, 64 Arcade, Kibogy Arcade, Tarita Centre, Jumbo House, Sugarland, Barngetuny,The Anchor and Kalyet City Mall.

Eldoret has a vibrant nightlife with many clubs found in the city center such as Club Timba, Club 411, Signature Club, Babel Club and the more upmarket Well Irish Pub and Zaika Lounge, the latter located at Rupas Mall.

Champions Monument located in Eldoret, Kenya

The Champions Monument is situated at the junction of Kaptagat and Nairobi roads and was erected in honour of retired, elite and upcoming athletes in the country. The bronze monument, erected by Mediheal Group of Hospitals, depicts two female athletes and two male athletes attached on a world map running towards different directions. One of the males is holding an Olympic torch in one hand while the rest have their hands raised up as a sign of victory. It also has an image of a male athlete mounted on the top draped in the Kenyan flag.[35]

At 26 floors and 70 meters tall, this is the tallest building in Kenya west of Nairobi and stands as a landmark of the town. It was built by the Moi University Pension Scheme[36] and was opened in 2016.[37]

The territory of the bearers of the Sirikwa culture, Kenya's predominant hinterland archaeological culture, extended over the Uasin Gishu plateau. This society experienced a cultural peak between the 12th to 15th centuries and persisted as a way of life to the 17th and 18th centuries. It declined and was superseded in Uasin Gishu by the Uasin Gishu people who gave their name to the plateau. Studies indicate that the 'Sirikwa' kept cattle in sunken pens, which today form depressions commonly known as Sirikwa Holes. Some of these can be seen around Uasin Gishu though most are today overgrown with grass or have been tilled over. A well preserved example exists at Naiberi River Campsite located just out of town.

A local institution dating to the Afrikaner period in Eldoret. The majority of Afrikaners who settled in Kenya made their home in Uasin Gishu, turning what was for many centuries prime pasture land into one Kenya's most productive agricultural zones. They made their way to Uasin Gishu in wagons and the hotel bears testament to the 'trek' made by those families as they sought a new home and as they built one. The hotel itself, was built in 1926 by these families as a recreational hub and is one of the oldest buildings in town. It has pictures of the wagons of the Great Treks — as the journeys from South Africa to Kenya were known then, and a dining area shaped like an elongated railway wagon with a looped roof. It also features a modern casino, the only one in the North Rift region.[38]

Athletics is by far the most popular sport in the region with wins at the Olympics and World Athletics Championships as well as roadraces across the world having propelled many local residents to stardom and financial success. Current and future athletes can be seen training at the IAAF High Altitude Training Center, the Kipchoge Keino stadium or even along the streets on most mornings.

The breakfast room at Eldoret Club, overlooking the golf course

Eldoret Club is a private members club that was established in 1924 on the edge of town. It is situated on large well-manicured grounds that house a clubhouse, a 9-hole golf course and a variety of other facilities.[39]

Located some 25 kilometers away from Eldoret at a point where the River Sosiani plunges 70 meters from the plateau and over a granite escarpment. It was also a site of the ancient practice of Sheu Morobi where very old members of the Nandi community would jump to their deaths for a variety of reasons including loneliness and so as not to burden the community.[40]

This is a notable resort in the town and features a wide variety of accommodation, food and amusements.[41]

Sign near the gate to Eldoret International Airport.

The City of Eldoret is served by two aerodromes, Eldoret International Airport and Eldoret Airstrip.

Eldoret International Airport is a regional airport approximately 14 km from Eldoret city. It has daily scheduled flights to Nairobi and Lodwar and weekly international cargo flights operated by Emirates (airline) and Etihad Airways. Situated at 6,941 feet (2,116 m) above sea level,[46] the airport has a single asphalt runway that measures 3,475 metres (11,401 ft) in length.[47]

.The airport is open from Monday to Sunday from 0330hours to 1730hours GMT, but the hours can be extended on request. Currently the airport has three scheduled international cargo flights and several ad hoc freighters per week.

Eldoret International Airport mainly offers freight cargo services

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.[48]

Four domestic airline companies operate in this airport: Fly 540, Jambojet, Skyward Express and Silverstone Air.

The Eldoret Airstrip, also known as the Eldoret Boma Airport, is a small airstrip located within Eldoret city on the Eldoret Iten road. It has an elevation of 7,050 ft above sea level and a single runway measuring 1,130 metres. The county government of Uasin Gishu took over operations of the Eldoret airstrip in July 2015

Vehicles leaving Eldoret, near Sosiani primary school.

The Trans-African highway passes through the city central business district.

The city is also served by the Kenya-Uganda railway.

The French renewable energy firm Voltalia is building a 40-megawatt (MW) solar plant for compatriot Kenya-based French solar firm Alten Africa in Kesses, Eldoret. Once it goes into commercial operation, scheduled for March 2020, approximately 123.6GWh of clean electricity will be injected into the grid every year, enough to meet the annual energy consumption needs of over 824,000 Kenyans.[49]

The Kenya Pipeline Company operates a pipeline that passes through the city. It is connected to the refinery at the coastal city of Mombasa and extends further from Eldoret to the lakeside city of Kisumu. one of 5 national oil depots is located in the city