Fate of Eldoret to become fifth city lies with Senate
By Rawlings, June 26, 2023
Uasin Gishu County Assembly has petitioned the Senate to consider elevating Eldoret Municipality into a city.
Senate Devolution and Intergovernmental Committee will now establish whether Eldoret meets all the conditions set out in the Urban Areas and Cities Act 2021 to warrant the elevation into a city. “I refer the resolution by the Uasin Gishu County Assembly to the Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations for consideration,” said Senate Speaker Amason Kingi.
If the application is considered, Eldoret will join Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru as cities.
Eldoret is a logistics hub being one of the few towns privileged to have an international airport, railway line, trunk roads like A8 road crossing the heart of the town and has close proximity to industrialised urban towns like Nakuru, Kitale, Kisumu and others within the North.
Under the Urban Areas and Cities Act, city status means an urban area qualifies for more benefits, grants, national staff and attracts more people and investment.
Should the proposal be considered, Eldoret will become the second municipality in the post-devolution era to gain city status after Nakuru.
In the application to the Senate, Uasin Gishu County Assembly stated that they had adopted reports of its House Committee that has recommended the elevation.
“The County Assembly adopted report of the joint Committee on Lands, Physical Planning, Housing and Urban Development on the ad hoc Committee report on the conferment of city status to the Municipality of Eldoret,” Kingi said in his communication to the House.
Section 8 of the Urban Areas and Cities Act stipulates that the Board of Municipality may, upon a resolution, apply to the County Executive Committee for consideration for the conferment of city status.
Where the Executive Committee approves the application, the governor shall constitute an ad hoc Committee to consider the recommendation and advise as appropriate.