- Ruto said two occasions that marked his childhood in Eldoret are firmly engrained in his mind.
- The President stated that his father bought him the first pair of shoes in Eldoret when he joined high school.
President William Ruto on Thursday opened up about his childhood memory in Eldoret City.
Image: PCS
President William Ruto on Thursday opened up about his childhood memory in Eldoret City.
While in Eldoret at the elevation ceremony of the municipality to a city stature, Ruto did not shy away from narrating his first job and the clothes he bought with his first salary.
Ruto said the two occasions that marked his childhood in Eldoret are firmly engrained in his mind.
The President stated that his father bought him his first pair of shoes in Eldoret when he joined high school.
"In January 1981, I went to Wareng High School and my father Daniel Kipruto Kirongosi Samoei bought me a pair of shoes in the streets of Eldoret, It was my first pair of shoes and it is very memorable, that town today is a city," he said.
Ruto said Eldoret has graduated to a city after immense hard work and drive by farmers, business people, sportsmen and women who have contributed to its growth.
He added that through his first job as a clerk at a farm in Eldoret, he was able to buy his first pair of jeans.
"In October 1984, I worked for the first time as a clerk after Form Four in Kapkong farm for the late Paul Boit and he paid me Sh300, it was my first wage," he said.
"I came to Eldoret town and I bought myself a pair of jeans with Sh137 of my hard-earned wage, it was the first time I remember walking into a shop to buy a brand new pair of Jeans."
Ruto said that over nearly a century, Eldoret has undergone a dramatic transformation, growing from a sleepy farming centre to a bustling metropolis that is the face of Kenya.
The President said Eldoret has established itself as a recognised hub for serious investments in agro-industrial and agribusiness, medical and biomedical, trade and commerce, tourism and hospitality, sporting and entertainment, and finance and technological concerns.
Ruto commended Uasin Gishu residents, members of the Uasin Gishu County Assembly and Executive members, the business and investment community, professionals and every worker for their invaluable support and countless hours of effort to make the transition successful.
"It is now my singular honour and pleasant duty, by the authority vested in me by Section 12 of the Urban Areas and Cities Act, to officially confer city status upon the City of Eldoret."