Uasin Gishu County

Last updated

UASIN GISHU COUNTY LOGO.png

Uasin Gishu County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya located in the former Rift Valley Province. Eldoret has the county's largest population centre as well as its administrative and commercial centre. [1] "It lies between longitudes 34 degrees 50' east and 35 degrees 37' West and latitudes 0 degrees 03' South and 0 degrees 55' North. It is a highland plateau with altitudes falling gently from 2,700 meters above sea level to about 1,500 meters above sea level. The topography is higher to the east and declines gently towards the western border". [2]

Contents

Uasin Gishu is located on a plateau and has a cool and temperate climate. The county borders Trans-Nzoia County to the north, Elgeyo-Marakwet and Baringo counties to the east, Kericho County to the south, Nandi County to the south, south-west and Kakamega County to the west.

Etymology

The county's name comes from the Maasai word Illwuasin-kishu. The land was the grazing area of the clan. They surrendered the land to the colonial government in the Anglo-Maasai agreement of 1911 and were subsequently pushed towards Trans Mara District. The plateau that they once occupied was then registered in its Anglicised version, Uasin Gishu. [3]

History

In 1903, the area was proposed as a potential Jewish homeland; British Uganda Programme, which was rejected by the Jewish community leaders in the Sixth Zionist Congress

In 1908, fifty eight families of Afrikaans-speaking South Africans settled in the Uasin Gishu plateau. They were followed by sixty more families in 1911 and more later. [4] The town of Eldoret was established in the midst of the farms they created.

Population

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1979 300,766    
1989 445,530+48.1%
1999 622,705+39.8%
2009 894,179+43.6%
2019 1,163,186+30.1%
source: [5]
Uasin Gishu Map UASIN GISHU MAP.png
Uasin Gishu Map

Religion

Religion in Uasin Gishu County [6]

Religion (2019 Census)Number
Catholic 250,572
Protestant 521,093
Evangelical Churches 222,364
African instituted Churches 68,784
Orthodox 3,537
Other Christian 39,428
Islam 18,805
Hindu 1,600
Traditionists1,193
Other9,523
No ReligionAtheists 14,289
Don't Know1,362
Not Stated121

Government

Urban areas

TownTypePopulation (2009) [7] Rank in Kenya (Population Size)
Eldoret Municipality289,3805
Moi's Bridge Town14,596106
Matunda Town10,031119
Burnt Forest Town4,925172
Jua KaliTown3,427192
TurboTown2,831201

Constituencies

DivisionPopulation*Urban pop.*Headquarters
Ainabkoi Constituency 77,29018,799 Kapsoya
Kapseret Constituency 93,16255,056Kapseret
Kesses Constituency 84,8940Kesses
Moiben Constituency 92,7176,172Moiben
Soy Constituency 165,12746,338 Eldoret
Turbo Constituency 109,50846,900 Turbo
* 1999 census. [8] [9]

Uasin Gishu Sub-counties

Uasin Gishu is divided into six sub-counties namely: Turbo - with a Total of six wards; Kesses - With a Total of four wards; Moiben - With a Total of Five wards; Kapseret - with a total of five wards; Ainabkoi and Soy - With a Total of Seven wards. The sub-counties boundaries also correspond with the electoral constituencies in the counties.

Uasin Gishu Sub Counties
Sub CountyWardsSub CountyWardsSub CountyWards
TurboHurumaMoibenKaruna/MeibekiSoyKipsomba
KamagutKimumuKunet/Kapsuswa
KapsaosMoibenSoy
KiplombeSergoitZiwa
NgenyilelTembelioKapkures
TapsagoiMois Bridge
Segero/Barsombe
KessesTulwet/ChuiyatKapseretNgeriaAinabkoiAinabkoi/Olare
TarakwaSimat/KapseretKaptagat
Cheptiret/KipchamoKipkenyoKapsoya
RacecourseLangas
Megun

Each Sub County has an administrative office in charge of it from the county Government. Wards administrators are in charge of wards and Sub County administrators admin the sub Counties.

Economy

Agriculture

Cherangani hills as viewed from farmlands near Karuna,Moiben, Uasin Gishu Cherangany hills uasingishu.jpg
Cherangani hills as viewed from farmlands near Karuna,Moiben, Uasin Gishu
Kesses Reservoir A cloudy day at Kesses.jpg
Kesses Reservoir

Uasin Gishu along with neighbouring Trans-Nzoia, are considered Kenya's breadbasket due to their large-scale maize and wheat farms which produce the bulk of the country's total harvest. [10]

The National Cereals Board has a cereal storage depot located at Moi's Bridge town located in the north of the county, which consists of eight large silos with a capacity of approximately 5 million tonnes of grain. [11] It is one of the largest in the country and plays a significant role in Kenya's food security.

The county also produces sizable quantities of milk and horticultural produce. A wide variety of crops and animals are produced in smaller quantities.

Aquaculture

The county has 1,728 operational fish ponds covering 486,000 m2 with annual fish production of 593,000 kg worth KShs 285,900,000. The county also has many private and public dams suitable for capture fisheries with an annual production of 33,048 kg worth KShs 9,914,400. [12]

Industry

The county capital, Eldoret, is home to a vibrant textile industry as well as East Africa's only manufacturer of small arms and ammunition. There is also a substantial agribusiness sector that makes use of the produce from the county and surrounding regions. [13]

Services

Eldoret is a major commercial centre in western Kenya. Service industries like wholesale & retail trade, auto repair, entertainment centres and various IT services abound within and outside the town. Almost all Kenyan banks have a presence in the town and these act to service the region. [14]

Tourism

Tourism, sports tourism in particular, is a growing sub-sector in the county - the result of long term performances by athletes from the region. [15]


Trading Once in 1945 started culture as we know called currency trade It was a type of trade that was practised upto this day it is Way different than Barter trade which was practised in the olden days.

Currency trade-exchange of money for goods Barter trade-exchange of goods for goods

Transport

Uasin Gishu has 300 kilometers of tarmac roads, 549 kilometers of murram roads and 377 kilometers of earth roads. It also has 17 kilometers of railway line with 8 railway stations in addition to an inland container depot. The Eldoret International Airport and two airstrips are also located in the county, all combining to make it the regions service hub. [16]

Education

The county has several universities including Moi University and the University of Eldoret, which have their main campuses in the county. Several technical and vocational institutes are also located in the county, including Eldoret National Polytechnic, Rift Valley Technical Training Institute, Kipkabus Technical Training Institute, Moiben Technical Training Institute, Kosyin Technical Training Institute, Chebororwa Agricultural Training Centre, Tumaini and Technical Training Institute, amongst others.[ citation needed ]

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eldoret</span> City in Kenya

Eldoret is the fifth largest city in Kenya. In the Rift Valley region, it serves as the capital of Uasin Gishu County. The town was referred to by white settlers as Farm 64 and colloquially by locals as 'Sisibo'. As per the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Eldoret is the fifth most populated urban area in the country after Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and Ruiru. Lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about 2,100 metres (6,900 ft) at the airport to more than 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) in nearby areas. The population was 289,380 in the 2009 Census, and it was the fastest growing city in Kenya with 475,716 people according to 2019 National Census. Eldoret was on course to be named Kenya's fourth city, but was edged out by Nakuru in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans-Nzoia County</span> County of Kenya

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 capital and largest town. The county borders Bungoma to the west, Uasin Gishu and Kakamega to the south, Elgeyo-Marakwet to the east, West Pokot to the north and the Republic of Uganda to the Northwest. Trans Nzoia covers an area of 2495.5 square kilometres.

The Oropom were the aboriginal inhabitants of much of Karamoja in Uganda, Mt. Elgon area and West Pokot, Trans Nzoia and Turkana regions in Kenya. Their descendants were largely assimilated into various communities present in their former territories, including the Iteso, Karamojong, Pokot, Turkana and Bukusu. They are or were found in scattered pockets between the Turkwel River, Chemorongit Mountains and Mt. Elgon. One report indicates that they formerly spoke the unclassified Oropom language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kakamega County</span> County in Kenya

Kakamega County is a county in the former Western Province of Kenya. It borders Vihiga County to the South, Siaya County to the West, Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties to the North and Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties to the East. Its capital and largest town is Kakamega. The county has a population of 1,867,579 and an area of 3,033.8 km2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elgeyo people</span>

The Elgeyo are an ethnic group who are part of the larger Kalenjin ethnic group of Nilotic origin. They live near Eldoret, Kenya, in the highlands of the former Keiyo District, now part of the larger Elgeyo Marakwet County. The Elgeyo originally settled at the foothills of the Elgeyo escarpment, in the area between Kerio river to the east and the escarpment to the west. Due to drought and famine in the valley, the Keiyos climbed the escarpment and started to settle on the highland east of Uasin Gishu plateau. When the British came, the Keiyos were pushed to settle in clusters called reserves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nandi County</span> County in Kenya

Nandi County is a county in Kenya in the North Rift, occupying an area of 2,884.4 square kilometres. Its capital, Kapsabet, is the largest town in the county while other towns include Mosoriot, Tinderet, Kobujoi, Kaiboi, Kabiyet and Nandi Hills. According to a 2019 census, the county has a population of 885,711, made up of a number of Kenyan communities, the majority of whom belong to the native tribe called Nandi.

Kaptagat is a settlement in Uasin Gishu County, in the southwestern part of Kenya. This part of the country, where the two counties of Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet County share a border, is used by the majority of Kenyan professional long-distance runners to train for professional competition. Eliud Kipchoge, the former marathon world record holder, who also doubles as the Tokyo Olympics and Rio Olympics marathon gold medalist, maintains a training camp in Kaptagat.

Moi's Bridge is a small town that has its roots both in Uasin Gishu County, Trans Nzoia County and Kakamega County, Kenya. It is a town that has since grown as an agricultural center with the third largest NCPB in East Africa. Moi's Bridge is an electoral ward of the Soy Constituency and Uasin Gishu County. It is an important Kenyan area, often named as the 'bread basket' of Kenya. Moi's Bridge is also a location in the Soy division of Uasin Gishu District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tachoni</span> Ethnic group of western Kenya

The Tachoni is one of the tribes that occupy the western part of Kenya,its known for its gallant defense of the Chetambe in 1895 when resisting British rule. Tachoni people were masters at building forts such as Chetambe, Lumboka, and Kiliboti. It was their defiance of colonialism that led to the colonial government putting the entire region occupied by the Tachoni under administration of paramount chiefs drawn from Bunyala and Wanga communities. Sharing land with the Abanyala, the Kabras, Nandi, and Bukusu tribe. They live mainly in Webuye, Chetambe Hills, Ndivisi Matete sub-county-Lwandeti, Maturu, Mayoyo, Lukhokho, Kiliboti, Kivaywa, Chepsai, and Lugari sub-county in Kakamega County. Most Tachoni clans living in Bungoma speak the ' Olutachoni dialect which is a hybrid of the luhyia language of the luhyia people. Since they lost their original dialect during the divide and rule system used by the whites to scatter them for being resistants to their colonialism, they had to find a way to interact with their new neighbors and thats why they're subsequently mistaken as Bukusus. They spread from Kakamega county to Trans-Nzoia County, webuye especially around Kitale, Tambach in Iten Nandi in areas like kabiyet and kapsisiwa, kericho and to Uasin Gishu County near Turbo, Eldoret.

Among the Tachoni clans are Abachikha -further divided into Abakobolo, Abamuongo, Abachambai,Abamakhanga, Abacharia, and Abakabini, Abamarakalu, Abangachi -who are further divided into: Abawaila, Abakhumaya and Abawele, Abasang'alo, Abasamo, Abayumbu, Abaluu, Abarefu,Abanyangali, Abamuchembi, Abamakhuli, Abasioya, Abaabichu,Abacheo, Abamachina,Abaengele, Abamutama, Abakafusi, Abasonge, Abasaniaka, Abaabiya also known as Abakatumi, Abakubwayi,Abakamutebi, Abakamukong, Abamweya, Abalukulu,Abawande, Abatukiika, Abachimuluku. Note that the morpheme 'aba' means 'people'.

Kamagut is a Sub-Location in Turbo Division of the Uasin Gishu County. It is 15 km from the town of Eldoret.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elgeyo-Marakwet County</span> County in Kenya

Elgeyo-Marakwet County is one of Kenya's 47 counties, which is located in the former Rift Valley Province with its capital and largest town as Iten. It borders the counties of West Pokot to the north, Baringo County to the east, southeast and south, Uasin Gishu to the southwest and west, and Trans Nzoia to the northwest.

Uasin Gishu District, also known as Eldoret District, was one of the districts of Kenya, located in the Rift Valley Province. The town of Eldoret was its capital, administrative and commercial centre. It bordered the Trans-Nzoia District.

The Suam–Endebess–Kitale–Eldoret Road, is a rural road in Kenya. The road links Suam, in Trans-Nzoia County, to the towns of Endebess, Kitale, and Eldoret in Uasin Gishu County.

Turbo is a town at the border of Uasin Gishu County and kakamega countyKenya, approximately 34 kilometers northwest of Eldoret town, along the Nairobi-Malaba Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sengwer people</span>

The Sengwer people are an indigenous community who primarily live in the Embobut forest in the western highlands of Kenya and in scattered pockets across Trans Nzoia, West Pokot and Elgeyo-Marakwet counties. The Sengwer are sometimes portrayed as a component of the Marakwet people but are a distinct ethnic grouping.

The Chemwal people were a Kalenjin-speaking society that inhabited regions of western and north-western Kenya as well as the regions around Mount Elgon at various times through to the late 19th century. The Nandi word Sekker was used by Pokot elders to describe one section of a community that occupied the Elgeyo escarpment and whose territory stretched across the Uasin Gishu plateau. This section of the community appears to have neighbored the Karamojong who referred to them as Siger, a name that derived from the Karimojong word esigirait. The most notable element of Sekker/Chemwal culture appears to have been a dangling adornment of a single cowrie shell attached to the forelock of Sekker women, at least as of the late 1700s and early 1800s.

The Uasin Gishu people were a community that inhabited a plateau located in western Kenya that today bears their name. They are said to have arisen from the scattering of the Kwavi by the Maasai in the 1830s. They were one of two significant sections of that community that stayed together. The other being the Laikipiak with whom they would later ally against the Maasai.

The Siger people were a community commonly spoken of in the folklore of a number of Kenyan communities that inhabited regions of northwestern Kenya at various points in history.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kesses Dam</span>

Kesses Dam is a small man-made lake in Kenya. It is one of the sources of the Yala River. It is used as a source of water for irrigation and domestic use, and also for boating and other water activities.

Reuben Kiplagat Chesire was a Kenyan politician who served as an MP for Eldoret North Constituency from 1988 to 1997.

References

  1. "Uasin Gishu County overview – Uasin Gishu County" . Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  2. "KIPPRA PPR Home". repository.kippra.or.ke. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  3. MORRIS KIRUGA. Daily Nation. How local dialects influenced naming of west Kenya towns. 23 July 2013
  4. Red strangers: the white tribe of Kenya, ISBN   1-85725-206-3, by Christine Stephanie Nicholls
  5. Kenya: Administrative Division population statistics
  6. "2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics" (PDF). Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
  7. "Kenya" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2013.
  8. "1999 census" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007.
  9. 1999 census Archived 28 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  10. Kenya Information Guide online
  11. Zakenya online
  12. Uasin Gishu County online
  13. Kenya Information Guide online
  14. "Eldoret, Kenya". Meet Minneapolis. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  15. Kenya Information Guide online
  16. Uasin Gishu County Government online

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Uasin-Gishu County at Wikimedia Commons

0°31′00″N35°17′00″E / 0.516667°N 35.2833°E / 0.516667; 35.2833