Eldoret City, the capital of Uasin Gishu County, will host the 98th edition of the National Kenya Music and Cultural Festivals in 2025.

This announcement was made during the Winners’ Concert of the 97th Kenya Music and Cultural Festivals 2024 at Bomas of Kenya, on Wednesday.

Among the standout performers at the festival, the Sisto Cultural Dancers were honoured with a Kshs.100,000 cash award for their exceptional performance, alongside Fred Omondi and Sarah Ayier, both from Uasin Gishu, who received Ksh 50,000 each.

The 97th edition of the festivals, held in Voi, Taita Taveta County, saw Uasin Gishu emerge as the second-best county overall. Kakamega County secured the top spot, while Nairobi finished in third place. The competition featured groups from 22 counties, with Uasin Gishu winning an impressive 81 trophies — a remarkable leap from the 24 trophies it earned in the previous year.

Director of Culture Mohamed Dakane, praised Uasin Gishu’s outstanding performance, stating, “We are incredibly proud of our achievements in the 97th edition of the Kenya Music and Cultural Festivals. Securing second place is a testament to the dedication and talent of our community groups.”

He further acknowledged the support from the County Government, adding, “We are grateful to our Governor (Dr. Jonathan Bii) for facilitating our community group participation in this event.”

This year’s record-breaking trophy haul marked the highest number of awards Uasin Gishu has ever won in the festival’s history. Last year, the county secured second place in Wote, Makueni.

Dakane expressed his pride and gratitude to all the participating teams: “We are immensely proud of our teams for their hard work and perseverance. Congratulations to everyone for making our county shine on the national stage.”