Eldoret city and the history of its origin

Eldoret is the fifth largest city in Kenya. It is located in the Rift Valley region and serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. The town is located 311km away from Nairobi the capital city of Kenya.

The town traces its origin in the early years of 20th century when the displaced Boers from South Africa settled in Eldoret. The Boers or the Afrikaners were running away from the first and second Anglo-Boer wars that was fought in (1880-1888) and (1889-1902). These conflicts led the Boers feeling uneasy with the British rule in South Africa and had to migrate north.

The first to arrive were three Van Breda brothers Bon, Dirk and Piet who arrived in Uasin Gishu in 1903 followed by Frans Arnoldi's family that arrived in 1905. They started farming and experimenting with wheat though time and again had conflict with the locals that led to one of the Van brothers Bon killed.

Then the arrival of the third and the largest group of immigrants consisted of 47 families of approximately 300 people. This group of Boers left South Africa aboard a chattered German Boat named "Windhoek" and arrived at Mombasa June 1908, they then boarded a train to Nakuru arriving in July 1908. From Nakuru these families started the mighty trek to the highlands searching for a place to settle. Along with their belongings that included prefabricated houses, ploughs heavily loaded on wagons that were pulled by oxen. They set out on a caravan through a very difficult terrain of steep escarpment and hostility from the locals.

When they arrived in what is the present day Eldoret a story that has been passed through generations is told that one of the wagons that was carrying a very heavy safe collapsed. With fatigue from the long trek, an attempt by the Boers to lift the safe back to the Wagon failed. Upon assessing the environment, the place proved to be pleasant and provided everything the Boers were searching for and they decided to settle. With the safe on the ground, their only option was to put up a  mud structure around the safe which served as a bank. The bank would later be accepted as a branch of South Africa Standard Bank. The current Standard Chattered Bank of Eldoret is at the exact place the wagon collapsed.

Eldoret and the surrounding plateau had earlier been occupied by the Sirikwa. Then the Maasai followed in the 18th and 19th centuries. The plateau served as a good grazing land for the Maasai with their large herds of cattle. The Maasai clan that had occupied the plateau were known as the "Ilwasin Kishu" from which the name "Uasin Gishu" is crafted. The Boers together with the British white settlers pushed the Maasai out of the area in order to create what they called a breathing space and to open up large tracks of land for farming. The Boers loved Eldoret so much for providing them with the comfort and peace they so needed to an extent of referring it as "A place where our women can breed in space" It is understandable keeping in mind they had just come from a period of war in South Africa.

Around this time the land had been surveyed by the Royal British engineers and allocated to the white settlers settling in what was commonly known as the White Highlands. The farms were numbered in numerals and Eldoret was on farm 64 and was allocated to a Boer named Willie van Aardt. This number 64 was because Eldoret was at a distance of 64 miles (103km) a point from Londiani where the newly built railway line heading to Uganda was. The locals would pronounce 64 as "Sisibo" That is why to date 64 and Sisibo are still in use for some installations like 64 stadium near Eldoret West Market, 64 Arcade along Oloo Street, 64 Secondary School, 64 Resort & Sporting Club and many others.

Around 1910 a Post Office was opened to serve the growing number of residents. The then Commissioner of the East Africa British Protectorate, Sir Percy Girouard summoned the farmers to give Eldoret an official name instead of referring to it as Farm 64. Several names were suggested like Sosian, Sirikwa, Girouardfontein and Eldare. The Commissioner picked the name "Eldare" which in Maasai dialect meant a "stony river" in reference to Sosiani River which passes through Eldoret town. He suggested the name "Eldare" be added a letter "t" at the end to read "Eldaret" but due to a typing error in the official gazette notice of January 1, 1912 the name was spelt "Eldoret" and has remained like that because nobody bothered to rectify it.

The stories you read about the Boers portray them as ruthless and cruel people who oppressed the local blacks comprising of Nandi and Luhya tribes by imposing a code of strict separation. They instituted their own brand of apartheid in Eldoret and intimidating the local British Administration by resisting any attempt to be controlled. The Boers were so entrenched in Eldoret that they even had their own currency. The Krueger coin is what they used to trade amongst themselves completely disregarding the currency of the British Colony 

The Boers built the Highland School which is now known as Moi Girls High School and British White Settlers built the Hill School. For recreational and entertainment purposes, the Boers had the Wagon Wheel Hotel and the White Settlers had the Lincoln Hotel. 

The Boers again can be traced on religion matters as they built the Emmanuel Dutch Reformed Church at the heart of Eldoret town. The Church is over 100 years old and was built by the preacher William de Klerk the grandfather of the former South African President Fredrick de Klerk. They then had a meeting place known as the Big Hall built in 1938 where the Boer farmers used to meet and make laws. The hall served as their parliament and it still stands in its original form at Plateau village some 20 kilometers east of Eldoret town.

Most of the Boers fled from Kenya headed back to South Africa in the early 1960's when Kenya got Independence from the colonial rule. Their legacy in Eldoret is evident in some old buildings, cemetery and even in churches. Their descendants still pay homage to those left behind and to Eldoret town as they consider it as their original home.

Eldoret is now governed by the County Government of Uasin Gishu which manages all its city affairs. Uasin Gishu County has six sub-counties and all have a unique feature in their boundaries that make them converge into Eldoret City. The sub-counties are;- Turbo sub-county, Soy sub-county, Moiben sub-county,  Ainabkoi sub-county, Kesses sub-county and Kapseret sub-county.

Overtime the town has grown to be home of a population of over 475,000 people going by the census of 2019. This population has brought about the growth of several estates to host the growing number of people living and working in Eldoret. The estates to mention but a few include Elgon View, Langas, Kapseret, Pioneer, Kipkaren, West Indies, Shauri, Huruma, Taili Mbili, Maili Nne, Mwanzo, Kamkunji, Kiplombe, Chep Junction, Kimumu, Jerusalem, Action, Munyaka, Kapsoya, Silas, Illula, Kipkorgot, Annex, Outspan, Cheplaskei and many others.

Eldoret is now home to notable Government installations that spur its economy, from Eldoret International Airport, Moi University, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, University of Eldoret, Moi Barracks for the Kenya defense forces that also serves as a Kenya Ordinance Factory for manufacturing 

firearms and ammunition, Rift Valley Technical Training Institute and many others.

The town also hosts quite a good number of  privately owned firms that have played a great deal to make Eldoret what it is today notably Mediheal Hospital, Eldoret Hospital, Little Lamb Schools, Sirikwa Hotel, Boma Inn Hotel, Baraka Hardware, Eagles Hardware, Dupawa Hotel, North Rift Shuttle, Eldoret Cross Roads, Paul's Bakery, Tawa Tyres and many more.

Eldoret is surrounded by prime agricultural lands that have made it to be known for large-scale grain farming, dairy and horticultural farming. The town is also a manufacturing hub with quite a good number of industries leading the way from Rivatex, Raiply Woods, Kenya Pipeline Depot, Kenya Co-operative Creameries, Doinyo Lessos and many others.

Eldoret is not left behind with modern malls like Rupa Mall, Zion Mall and 64 arcade, Eldo Center, Komora center and many others hosting retail stores and supermarket chains.

In sports Eldoret enjoys the bragging rights to be called "The City of Champions". The world renowned athletes and world record breakers in track and road events have their residential homes in Eldoret. This is because Eldoret and its environment is considered to be of high altitude and serves as a training ground ideal for middle and long distance athletes.

For 115 years Eldoret has grown from a mud house grass thatched structure to an urban center slowly becoming a major town hosting a municipality and now to a city status. Nothing will stop it from becoming a Metropolitan in the near future.

Photos from the internet.