The Senate Standing Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations approved Eldoret’s bid to become Kenya’s fifth city on Wednesday.
The Senate Committee stated in its report that Eldoret met all of the requirements to become a city as outlined in Section 5 and the First Schedule of the Urban Areas and Cities Act, 2011.
During its deliberations on Eldoret Municipality’s application for city status, the committee met with Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, a Senator from Uasin Gishu County, and even the National Executive.
The committee paid a visit to Uasin Gishu County to meet with both arms of the county government and to take a guided tour of the various amenities and services listed in the first schedule of the Urban Areas and Cities Act, 2011.
A public participation engagement was also organised for the committee in order to engage citizens and hear their thoughts on the application.
The report added that the Municipality of Eldoret has an Integrated Urban Development Plan for the period (2021-2026) and also has a Spatial Plan and a Local Physical and Land Use Development Plan.
“The municipality has the capacity to generate sufficient revenue to sustain its operation since its revenue potential is Sh2.5 billion, with the highest actual collection of Sh900 million in the last financial year,” it noted.
It added that the municipality also has the capacity to collect its own source revenue from markets, single business permits, land rates, street parking, and bus parks.
“The County Government of Uasin Gishu in collaboration with the Kenya National Museums should ensure plans to construct a museum in Eldoret town are fast-tracked since this is a requirement under the First Schedule of the Urban Areas and Cities Act, 2011,” the report stated.
Members of the committee embarked on a fact-finding mission upon receipt of the Uasin Gishu County Assembly’s resolution to adopt the report of the Ad Hoc on the conferment of city status to the Municipality of Eldoret.
According to the 2019 Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Population and Housing Census, the population of Eldoret is estimated to be 475,716 people, with 237,223 males and 238,477 females.
Eldoret is the capital of Uasin Gishu County, which is home to President William Ruto.
The approval now awaits Ruto’s approval before it can become the fifth city in Kenya, following Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, and Nakuru.
