Uasin Gishu County

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Uasin Gishu County
Flag of Uasin Gishu County.gif
Uasin Gishu County in Kenya.svg
Location in Kenya
CountryFlag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
Formed4 March 2013
Capital Eldoret
Government
   Governor Jonathan Bii
Area
  Total
2,955.3 km2 (1,141.0 sq mi)
Elevation
2,200 m (7,200 ft)
Population
 (2019)
  Total
1,163,186
  Density390/km2 (1,000/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)
   GDP Increase2.svg $6.833 billion (8th)(2022) [1]
   Per Capita Increase2.svg $5,582 (2022) (15th)
GDP (NOMINAL)
  GDPIncrease2.svg $2.527 billion (2022) (8th)
  Per CapitaIncrease2.svg $2,050 (2022) (14th)
Time zone UTC+3 (EAT)
Website www.uasingishu.go.ke

Uasin Gishu County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya located in the former Rift Valley Province. Eldoret city has the county's largest population centre as well as its administrative and commercial centre. [2] .It is bordered by Elgeyo-Marakwet to the East, Trans Nzoia to the North, Kakamega to the west, Nandi and Kericho to the South West and Baringo to the South East. It is a highland plateau with altitudes falling gently from 2,700 metres (8,900 ft) above sea level to about 1,500 metres (4,900 ft) above sea level. The topography is higher to the east and declines gently towards the western border". [3]

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 and south-west and Kakamega County to the west.

Etymology

The county is named after Illwuasin-kishu, a maasai clan. 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. [4]

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 Seventh Zionist Congress (1905).

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. [5] 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: [6]

Religion

Religion in Uasin Gishu County [7]

Religion (2019 Census)Number
Protestant 521,093
Roman Catholic 250,572
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) [8] 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. [9] [10]

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 -with a total of three wards; 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

Uasin Gishu is the 8th Largest Economy in Kenya with a gdp of $6.8B at PPP and $2.5B at Nominal. Its the 11th richest County in Africa with a gdp per Capita of $2,050

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. [11]

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. [12] 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, with a wide variety of crops and animals 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. [13]

Industry

The county capital, Eldoret, is home to a 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. [14]

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. [15]

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. [16]

Transport

Uasin Gishu has 300 kilometres (190 mi) of tarmac roads, 549 kilometres (341 mi) of murram roads and 377 kilometres (234 mi) of earth roads. It also has 17 kilometres (11 mi) 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. [17]

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kalenjin people</span> Group of Southern Nilotic peoples indigenous to East Africa

The Kalenjin is a group of tribes indigenous to East Africa, residing mainly in what was formerly the Rift Valley Province in Kenya and the eastern slopes of Mount Elgon in Uganda. They number 6,358,113 individuals per the Kenyan 2019 census and an estimated 273,839 in Uganda according to the 2014 census mainly in Kapchorwa, Kween and Bukwo districts.

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">Kericho County</span> County in Kenya

Kericho County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. The county seats between longitude 35°02' and 35°40' East and between the equator and latitude 0°23' South with an altitude of about 2002m above sea level. It borders Uasin Gishu County to the North, Baringo County to the North-East, Nandi County to the North-West, Nakuru County to the East and Bomet County to the South, Kisumu County to the Northwest and Nyamira County to the West. It had a population of 901,777 and an area of 2,111 km². Its capital and largest town is Kericho.

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

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">Marakwet people</span> Kenyan ethnic group

The Marakwet are one of the groups forming the ethnolinguistic Kalenjin community of Kenya, they speak the Markweta language. The Marakwet live in five territorial sections namely Almoo, Cherangany, Endoow, Sombirir (Borokot) and Markweta. Cutting across these territorial groups are a number of clans to which each Marakwet belongs. There were 119,969 Marakwet people in 2019.

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

Baringo County is one of the 47 counties in Kenya. It is located in the former Rift Valley Province. Its headquarters and largest town is Kabarnet. The county is home to Lake Baringo, Lake Bogoria and Lake Kamnarok.

Kapatarakwa is a village in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, Kenya. Kaptarakwa is located about 37 km from the town of Eldoret in the Kenyan highlands. Kaptarakwa is about 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above sea level. Nearby is the Kerio Escarpment which drops down to 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level.

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, and 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 National Cereals and Produce Board (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 Bungoma County, Kakamega County, Trans Nzoia County and Uasin Gishu County in the western part of Kenya, 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 to put the entire region occupied by the Tachoni under administration of paramount chiefs drawn from Bunyala and Wanga communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sub-Counties of Kenya</span>

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.

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

Elgeyo-Marakwet County is one of Kenya's 47 counties. Located in the former Rift Valley Province, its capital and largest town is 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 Trans-Nzoia District was an administrative district of Rift Valley Province, Kenya, located between the Nzoia River and Mount Elgon with its centre at the town of Kitale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Kiplimo Boit</span> Kenyan politician

Paul Kiplimo Boit was a prominent KANU politician during the Moi Regime. He was the chairman of Sirikwa County Council (which later came to be divided to Nandi County, Uasin Gishu County, Trans Nzoia County, West Pokot County Elgeyo Marakwet County from 1964 to 1971 and later became the chairman of Wareng County Council one of five Councils split from Sirikwa covering Uasin Gishu. He was best known for his excellent farming skills which earned him many awards and a visit from the former Tanzanian president Ali Hassan Mwinyi

Turbo is a town at the border of Uasin Gishu County and Kakamega County Kenya, approximately 34 kilometers northwest of Eldoret city, along the Nairobi-Malaba Road. Turbo Constituency derives its name from this Town. The town is connected to other trading centres in both counties by a complex road network.

<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 with a distinct language.

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 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.

References

  1. "GCP" . Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  2. "Uasin Gishu County overview – Uasin Gishu County" . Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  3. "KIPPRA PPR Home". repository.kippra.or.ke. Retrieved 27 October 2022.
  4. MORRIS KIRUGA. Daily Nation. How local dialects influenced naming of west Kenya towns. 23 July 2013
  5. Red strangers: the white tribe of Kenya, ISBN   1-85725-206-3, by Christine Stephanie Nicholls
  6. Kenya: Administrative Division population statistics
  7. "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.
  8. "Kenya" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2013.
  9. "1999 census" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 September 2007.
  10. 1999 census Archived 28 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  11. Kenya Information Guide online
  12. Zakenya online
  13. Uasin Gishu County online
  14. Kenya Information Guide online
  15. "Eldoret, Kenya". Meet Minneapolis. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
  16. Kenya Information Guide online
  17. Uasin Gishu County Government online

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