Our Towns
There are 102 trading centers with six of them being urban centers and
The six are Burnt Forest, Matunda, Turbo, Moiben, Kesses and Kapsaret. Urban centers have emerged and grown considerably.
Demographics
May Include relevant demographic information about the county, such as population size, diversity, and major industries.
County Topography, Climate and Ecological Condition
Uasin Gishu County is a highland plateau with an altitude that cascades gently from 2,700m above sea level at Timboroa in the East to about 1,500m above sea level at Kipkaren in the West. The County can roughly be divided into two broad physiographic regions namely upper highlands and lower highlands, with Eldoret at 2,085 M above sea level (a.s.l.) forming the boundary between the regions. The topography is higher in the east and drops towards the western borders. The plateau terrain in the County is friendly in construction of infrastructure such as roads and use of modern machinery for farming….
The County is divided into three zones namely; Upper highlands, Upper midlands and Lower highlands. Land use patterns in the County have been greatly influenced by these zones as adapt to the particular climatic conditions of an area. The geology of the County is dominated by tertiary volcanic rocks, with minimal commercially exploitable minerals. The four main soil types in the County are; Red Loam Soils occurring mainly in the northern part of the County in Turbo, Moi’s Bridge and Lower Moiben. Brown loam soils occur in high altitude areas of the County around Ainabkoi and Kaptagat. Red Clay Soils are found around Soy, Upper Moiben, and Nandi border areas. Brown Clay soils characterize the plateau and cover most of the Upper Lessos plateau areas. They are mostly shallow with murram close to the surface and are poorly drained. The soils are excellent for livestock rearing.
Infrastructures
Uasin Gishu has an extensive road network comprising of over 300 Kms of
tarmac roads, 549 Kms of marrum and 377 Kms of earth roads. It also boasts 179 Kms of railway line with 8 railway stations. In addition, there is an inland container depot. The Moi International Airport and two airstrips are also located in Uasin Gishu easily making it the region’s service hub.
With regard to financial services the County has also witnessed significant
It has a branch of the Central Bank of Kenya, 21 Commercial banks, 108 urban and 4 rural Saccos; and 5 major micro financing institutions.
The education facilities are fairly developed with 2 public universities
namely, Moi University and University of Eldoret. It also has 2 private universities and constituent colleges of major universities. There is also a National Polytechnic, a Technical Training Institute and several private commercial colleges. In terms of basic education, there are 576 ECD centres, 422 primary schools and 129 secondary schools.
Economic and Social activities
The County economy is majorly driven by agriculture. Large scale wheat and maize farming, dairy farming and horticulture favoured by fertile soils and regular rainfall are dominant. Besides agriculture, the County is home to some of the world-famous athletes who have boosted sports tourism. The County is also a manufacturing hub, with numerous industries and factories providing employment to thousands of its urban population.
Some of the notable industries include Raiply Wood factory, Rivatex Textiles, Kenknit Textiles, Kenya Pipeline Company (KPC), Kenya Cooperative Creameries (KCC) andas well as corn, and wheat factories all within Eldoret town. Other sectors such as commerce, transport, real estate and financial services are quite vibrant and significantly contribute to the County’s economy. Renowned wholesale and retail stores like Nakumatt, Uchumi, Tuskys, Naivas, Transmattresses, Eldomatt and Ukwala supermarkets have a presence in the County and some provide 24-hour shopping.
Political and Administrative units
Administratively, the County is divided into six sub-counties namely Turbo, Soy, Ainabkoi, Moiben, Kesses, and Kapsaret as shown below. These are further subdivided into one hundred and twenty locations and ninety-seven sub-locations.
The administrative boundaries of the six sub-counties also double as the constituencies’ boundaries with 30 County assembly wards spread as follows Soy (7), Turbo (6), Moiben (5), Ainabkoi (3), Kapsaret (5) and Kesses (4). Politically, these units produce; a Governor, 30 Members of the County Assembly and eight members of parliament comprising of six from the constituencies, a senator, and a woman representative.
Tourist Attractions.
Uasin Gishu county has various trourist attraction sites such as:
Willens Dairy Farm,Chebororwa ATC,Chebororwa Wildlife Conservancy,Sergoit Hills,River Sosiani Amusement Park,Kolol Railway Bridge,Kesses Dam,Koromosho Waterfalls,Asururiet Waterfalls,Ngara Falls,Kapsiliot Hills,Koimur Amazement Park,Tiret and Kipkaren River Resorts,Koimur Amazement Park
Culture
Uasin Gishu County is largely a cosmopolitan region. Being cosmopolitan for decades, they have established themselves in many ways. Much like modern cultures we experience every day.
Most people living in Uasin Gishu today profess Christian Faith,Other faiths such as Islam and Hinduism are mainly practiced in major towns albeit in a low scale.
Ugali, a meal made from cornmeal, millet or sorghum, is the people’s staple food. Like many other
Kenyans, people often use their bare hands to eat the ugali meal, which may be served with cooked
green vegetables such as kale. The people’s favorite meat includes roasted goat meat, beef, or chicken.
A popular beverage is mursik, a traditional fermented milk variant of the Kalenjin people.
County Background Information
Early Inhabitants
History of the previous inhabitants is scanty but in many places there are excavations with stone sides,commonly called Sirikwa holes, which are believed to have been roofed and occupied by the inhabitants of a by-gone age. This tribe was dislodged by the Maasai who took over the land a grazing for their cattle.
The Maasai were eventually ousted by the Nandi after a major battle which took place between them at
Kipkarren- the Nandi word for “The place of the Spears”
1908
ARRIVAL OF WHITE SETTLERS TO UASIN GISHU 1908
The first white settler is believed to have arrived in Uasin Gishu soon after 1900. A major trek of Afrikaans-speaking South Africans arrived in 1908 and by 1910 Uasin Gishu had begun to fill up with British settlers.
