Uasin Gishu County and the Engineers Board of Kenya are carrying out a fresh assessment and inspection of buildings in Eldoret City to establish their compliance with required safety standards.
County officials say Eldoret, which has of late attracted the construction of many high-rise buildings, is poised for transformative growth following a partnership with the EBK to strengthen engineering standards, promote sustainable infrastructure and pave the way for a smart and modern city.
The move draws inspiration from iconic global cities built around rivers – such as London’s River Thames and Beijing’s Yongding River – and Eldoret’s own River Sosiani holds untapped potential to become a central cultural and tourist landmark.
Governor Jonathan Bii welcomed the partnership, saying with strategic planning and sustainable development, the city, with River Sosiani, could be elevated into a major attraction, both locally and internationally.
“We are engaging experts like the engineers so that we do proper planning for Eldoret, which is one of the areas experiencing quick expansions and growth,” Bii said.
During a stakeholder engagement session, chief officer for Roads, Transport and Public Works, Geoffrey Tanui, highlighted the county's commitment to enhancing safety, professional development and quality engineering services through the enforcement of standards.
“As a county, we are focused on building capacity through training, encouraging globally competitive engineering and ensuring the inspection of buildings meets professional benchmarks. We aim to shape Eldoret into one of the most beautiful and modern cities in the region – attractive to investors and tourists alike,” Tanui said.
Engineer Antony Okere, director of compliance and enforcement at EBK, lauded Uasin Gishu for its progress in upholding construction standards, which has helped prevent structural failures and safeguard lives.
“We envision Eldoret as a smart city with efficient transport systems and innovative infrastructure. The question we should all ask is: what will Eldoret look like 50 years from now?” Okere said.
Also in attendance at the meeting were director of Public Works Eng Benjamin Kirongo, deputy director of roads Eng Linus Yego and EBK senior engineer Geoffrey Moindi.
The EBK team will spend the week engaging local engineers, inspecting buildings and collecting data to inform a comprehensive report.
The findings and recommendations will be presented to the county leadership to guide future improvements.
Uasin Gishu is enforcing new measures to help control traffic flow, including the decision to ban long-distance lorries from using the main highway crossing through Eldoret City. This is one of the measures being implemented by the county to decongest the city, which has been experiencing heavy traffic jams, especially during rains.
A multi-sectoral committee chaired by county commissioner Edison Nyale has been formed to help enforce the new measures. One of its recommendations is that all long-distance trucks with no business in the city centre will be diverted to use the Southern by-pass, whose construction was completed over a year ago.
The over 40-kilometre by-pass deviates from the main Uganda highway at Cheplaskei and passes at Kapseret on the Eldoret-Kisumu road before re-joining the Uganda highway at Leseru.
