ELDORET
For John Kanyi, the general manager at Eldoret's Eka Hotel, the highlights of his day are fulfilling customer expectations and walking up to the rooftop lounge to take in the views.
“I see a city full of promise, with huge potential for growth,” he says. “The empty spaces between commercial and residential buildings mean we have a chance to plan for a clean, environmentally conscious city.”
Kanyi uses the word ‘city’ deliberately. Eldoret is one of the urban centres in Kenya that are to be elevated to city status. “A hotel like this is a key indicator of the growth here. As a hub that connects the North Rift economic block through Eldoret International Airport, a city status for Eldoret will attract high-value entities.”
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Such are the positive sentiments that the Rift Valley town – famed for world-beating athletes – evokes. But the British, the first foreigners to settle around Eldoret in the early 20thto settle here and exploit the vast agricultural potential that lay in the region. They found willing allies in the Boers from South Africa.
