Preparations for the elevation of Eldoret town to city status on Thursday are in top gear as the county moved to defend a logo that has been adopted.
The county has adopted the logo, formerly used by the Municipality of Eldoret since 1964, which was designed by white settler Derric Stab.
There has been a raging debate in the town over the logo, with some residents rejecting it arguing it has questionable features that go against their religious beliefs.
The logo's main colour is green and has features including a rising sun, a cow, a maize cob, a ribbon, a nubian giraffe, ploughed land and maize leaves.
Eldoret Municipal Board CEO Tito Koiyet has defended the logo, saying it has been used for the town since Independence and has nothing sinister on it.
“The majority of residents were Kalenjins at the time the logo was designed. The local community has great reverence in the sun because it represents God’s omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience,” he said.
Koiyet said the inclusion of the cow on the logo is in line with the beliefs of the local community. He said the cow is highly valued in the region because it feeds people and represents life.
“There is nothing sinister about the logo because it has been around for more than 60 years and has on it features rooted in the Christian foundation and represents the economic and social practices of our people and all communities in this town,” he said.
President William Ruto will be in the town on Thursday to hand over the city charter to Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii, who has been leading preparations ahead of the event.
“We are in the final stages to set the town for the event and welcome the President and all other guests as we usher in the new city of Eldoret,” Bii said.
Eldoret will be Kenya’s fifth city after Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.
Bii said the town has all the requirements to be elevated to city status, which would lead to more investors and quick growth causing speedy creation of jobs.
“We have adequate land for investors, reliable water supply and outside Nairobi, we have the second largest concentration of medical facilities, banks, education institutions and other institutions,” he said.
Bii said the town has road, railways and air and is surrounded by very fertilize agricultural farmlands that spur quick economic development.
