France offers Sh2bn to help Eldoret get city status

The French Government will invest Sh2 billion to upgrade sanitation and health projects in Uasin Gishu. The programmes are part of the move to elevate Eldoret town to a city, Governor Jackson Mandago said.

Mandago on Friday hosted a delegation from the French embassy to discuss and strengthen the two institutions' partnership.

The French government, through Veolia- Seureca company, is already working with the Eldoret Water and Sanitation Company to construct a 115km sewerage and sanitation network in the town.

Mandago said the collaboration seeks to improve maternal healthcare through training of workers, equipping hospitals and setting up maternity satellite centres to ease congestion at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital. 

The French delegation was led by Aline Kuster. She said they will focus on health, water and sanitation, culture, sports and education.

The Moi Referral and Teaching Hospital, Huruma and Turbo health centres have partnered with the Robert -Debre Hospital in Paris which is the world’s best Paedriatic and Maternal Healthcare Hospital.

“We thank the government of France for this partnership. Health is a key pillar in Kenya’s Big Four agenda," Mandago said.

He said devolution of services to the grassroots was the core mandate of county governments.

The governor said Eldoret was expanding fast and required modernisation of its facilities in readiness for the city status.

“The city of Eldoret is an education hub. We have two universities, 17 satellite campuses, a national polytechnic, six technical training centres as well as an East Africa Centre of Excellence in Technical Training - RVTTI.  There is also a huge population pressure on our city. The sanitation project is therefore critical as we work to elevate Eldoret to a city,”  Mandago said.

He said the county and the French government will also establish education and technical exchange programmes between local technical training centres and those in France.

Already, ‘Rafiki Wa Maisha' a french non-profitable organisation, has been partnering with Koysin Vocation Training Centre in Moiben subcounty where they built a hostel.

The government of France has hired 70 expatriate Kenyan teachers of English. Fifteen of them come from Uasin Gishu. They all graduated from Moi University and The University of Eldoret, both located in the county. 

Uasin Gishu is also seeking to attract French companies and organisations to establish their presence at the recently launched Africa Economic Zone in Plateau within Kesses subcounty.

The county has partnered with the French government to train paediatricians, obstetricians, nurses and midwives to be deployed to various hospitals.