Kapenguria is a town in Kenya. It is the capital and largest urban center of West Pokot County. The town lies north east of Kitale on the A1 road along Kitale-Lodwar road in north Western Kenya. Kapenguria forms a municipality with a population of 40,751 as per the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census. [1]
Kapenguria constituency has six wards namely (Kapenguria, Mnagei, Siyoi, Riwo, Endugh and Sook). All of them belong to West Pokot county, which has a total of 20 wards.
With Kapenguria being the administrative headquarters of West Pokot county, the county and national governments constitute the largest employers. The various sectors of the service industry such as financial services, small-scale retail, hospitality, charity organisations, religious bodies and professionals comprise the other major significant employers.
Financial institutions which have branches in the town include Cooperative Bank, Kenya Commercial Bank, Equity Bank, Absa Bank and Post Bank.
The Saiwa Swamp National Park is located some 25 kilometres south of Kapenguria off the road to Kitale.
Kapenguria is home to the Kapenguria museum in the prison where Jomo Kenyatta was incarcerated in 1953 for his alleged role in the Mau Mau Rebellion.
Kapenguria town is a local educational hub with campuses of the University of Nairobi as well as Kisii University. Other tertiary institution located within the town include, a Kenya Medical Training College, West Pokot Teachers Training College and Pokot Technical Training Center among others.
The town hosts the Kapenguria County Referral Hospital which is the main health facility in West Pokot county. [2]
Kapenguria is the home of Tegla Loroupe, world-record-holder in the marathon, half-marathon, 20,000-metre, 15,000-metre and 10,000-metre races. She holds annual Peace Race races here, to bring peace among the eight tribes in the West Pokot area.
This is also the location of the Tegla Loroupe Peace Academy, founded to provide education to orphans from the tribal wars.
Eldoret is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. Located in western Kenya, and lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) at the Eldoret International Airport to more than 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) in nearby areas.
Tegla Chepkite Loroupe is a Kenyan long-distance track and road runner. She is also a global spokeswoman for peace, women's rights and education. Loroupe holds the world records for 25 and 30 kilometers and previously held the world marathon record. She was the first African woman to hold the marathon World Record, which she held from 19 April 1998 until 30 September 2001. She is the three-time World Half-Marathon champion. Loroupe was also the first woman from Africa to win the New York City Marathon, which she has won twice. She has won marathons in London, Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Berlin and Rome.
Kitale is a town in the north west of Kenya, in the former Rift Valley province. It situated between Mount Elgon and the Cherangany Hills. The town has an elevation of around 1,900 metres (6,200 ft). Its population was 162,174 as of 2019. Kitale town is the headquarter of the Trans-Nzoia County. Kitale is reachable by air through Kitale Airport. The postal code for Kitale is 30200.
Trans-Nzoia County is a county in the former Rift Valley Province, Kenya, located between the Nzoia River and Mount Elgon, 380 km northwest of Nairobi. At its centre is the town of Kitale which is the county capital and largest town. It is bordered by the Republic of Uganda to the west, Bungoma and Kakamega Counties to the south, West Pokot County to the east, and Elgeyo Marakwet and Uasin Gishu Counties to the southeast. Trans Nzoia covers an area of 2495.5 square kilometres. The county has a cool and temperate climate, with daytime temperatures ranging from 23.4°C to 29.2°C and nighttime temperatures from 11.0°C to 13.5°C. It receives moderate rainfall, making it suitable for agriculture
Western Province was one of Kenya's seven administrative provinces outside Nairobi. It is inhabited mainly by the Luhya people. Quakerism is widely practised here. Kenya's second highest mountain, Mount Elgon is located in Bungoma District. The Kakamega Forest rainforest is part of the area. The province capital was Kakamega. After the 2013 general election, and the coming into effect of kenya's new constitution, provinces became defunct and the country is currently divided into 47 counties. Each county has its own government and therefore there is no central regional capital. Western Province became the Western region, comprising four counties: Kakamega, Bungoma, Vihiga, and Busia.
The Pokot people live in West Pokot County and Baringo County in Kenya and in the Pokot District of the eastern Karamoja region in Uganda. They form a section of the Kalenjin ethnic group and speak the Pökoot language, which is broadly similar to the related Marakwet, Nandi, Tuken and other members of the Kalenjin language group.
West Pokot County is a county in Kenya. Its capital and largest town is Kapenguria. The county covers an area of approximately 9,169.4 square kilometers and stretches a distance of 132 kilometers from north to south.
Elizabeth Chepkwana Rumokol is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who began as a cross country runner before moving into road running, including the marathon. She twice represented her country at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships.
Kacheliba Constituency is an electoral constituency in Kenya. It is one of the four constituencies of West Pokot County. The constituency has six wards, which are represented by Members of County Assembly at the West Pokot County Assembly in Kapenguria. The constituency was established before the 1988 elections in order to cater for the interests of the Kara-Pokot community following years of under representation. The constituency was created by the Electoral Commission of Kenya through a publication in the Kenya Gazette.
Makutano is a settlement in Kenya's West Pokot County.
Sharon Jemutai Cherop is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon. She won a bronze medal at the age of sixteen in the 5000 metres at the World Junior Championships. She was the bronze medal winner in the marathon at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics and won the Boston Marathon in 2012.
The Tegla Loroupe Peace Race is an annual 10-kilometre road running event which takes place in November in Kapenguria, West Pokot County, Kenya. First held in 2003, the race was created by Kenyan runner Tegla Loroupe to bring together warriors of rival tribes to reduce conflict in the region. The event features separate 10K races for elite long-distance runners and local warriors. There is also a race for children and a VIP race for politicians and dignitaries. The race raises funds for the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation, a charitable body focused education, sports and medical issues.
Levy Matebo Omari is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes mainly in marathon races. Matebo has a personal best of 2:05:16 hours for the 42.195 km distance, which he set as a runner-up at the 2011 Frankfurt Marathon. He was also second at the Boston Marathon in 2012. He has won marathons in Brussels and Barcelona. In addition to the marathon, he has a half marathon best of 1:00:06 hours.
Sub-counties, formerly known as Districts, are the decentralised units through which government of Kenya provides functions and services. At national level, sub-counties take a more administrative function like security, statistical purposes, provision of government services, etc. Even though the sub-counties are divisions of counties, powers to create new national sub-counties lies with the national government. As of 2023, there are 314 sub-counties, compared to 290 constituencies. A deputy county commissioner is appointed by the state to lead each sub-county. The sub-counties are further divided into divisions, locations and sub-locations.
West Pokot District, formerly known as West Suk or Kacheliba District, was an administrative district in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya. Its capital town was Kapenguria.
Lokitanyala, Kenya is a settlement in the West Pokot County of Kenya. It sits across the international border from Lokitanyala, Uganda.
Paul Kipchumba Lonyangata is a Kenyan long-distance runner who specialises in road running events. He is a marathon runner with a personal best of 2:06:10 and has won marathons in Lisbon, Shanghai, Taipei and Paris. He was a bronze medallist at the World Junior Championships in Athletics in 2010.
The Nairobi–Malaba Road, also Nairobi–Uganda Road or A104 Road (Kenya) is a major highway in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. The road connects Nairobi, the capital and largest city in Kenya, with the border town of Malaba at the international border with Uganda.
The Athlete Refugee Team (ART) is a delegation under which refugee athletes can compete collectively at IAAF competitions. The official IAAF logo was used as the team's flag until 2019. World Athletics collaborated with Kenyan long-distance runner Tegla Loroupe to form the team in 2014 as a short-term response to the growing refugee crisis that left millions of people dislocated or stateless. However, it has since turned into a sort of permanent feature at World Athletics events due to the refugee crisis only worsening. Many of the athletes originate from a variety of nations such as: Sudan, South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Syria, and Ethiopia. They include a majority of runners, as well as professional swimmers, material artists, etc.
Turkwel–Ortum–Kitale High Voltage Power Line is a high voltage electricity power line, under construction, connecting the high voltage substation at Turkwel, to another high voltage substation at Kitale, both in Kenya.
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