One of the critiqued sculptures.
Eldoret City management has now admitted failure on its part over failure to supervise the workmanship of athlete statues described by Kenyans as a huge embarrassment, even as it insisted that no taxpayer money was lost.
The statues, supposedly to celebrate world-beating athletes who train and live around Eldoret on the day the town was declared a city, were nothing resembling the runners they ought to have depicted, leading to online uproar and questions.
Now, the Eldoret City management has admitted liability for its failure to monitor and approve the workmanship before they were erected, even as dismissed claims of city money, saying the statues were supposed to be a donation.
The three statues were those of athletes, milk foundation, maize and wheat erected at different roundabouts in Eldoret town, the ‘Homes of Champions’ now the City of Eldoret.
City manager Tito Koiyet dismissed claims the statues cost Sh63 million, noting that ‘sponsors’ offered to erect them.
“There was no budgetary allocation in preparation for conferment of the town to city status and different sponsors offered to assist us including putting the status. Unfortunately, there was poor workmanship for the statues and we had to immediately pull them down,” explained Mr Koiyet.
He admitted that the municipality management failed to supervise the entire workmanship of the statues resulting in rife criticisms on social media.
“The failure was on our part to oversee the entire preparation and mounting of the statues that almost exposed us to a lot of shame,” said Mr Koiyet.
He disclosed that financial challenges made it difficult for them to put up monuments in strategic positions ahead of the conferment of Eldoret which is the industrial hub of the agriculturally rich North Rift region to city status.
“All these issues boil down to inadequate funding. We did not supervise the work for statues because our sponsor promised to handle the matter and that is why we ended up in such a mess,” disclosed Mr Koiyet.
The Uasin Gishu County put up the statues on Oginga Odinga Avenue on the eve of the conferment of Eldoret Town to City status to boast of their agricultural and sports heritage.
Night rush
Little did they anticipate a night rush to remove the statues that exposed the newest city to ridicule on social media platforms.
Pictures of the statues went viral on social media, with Kenyans opining that the arts were poorly done.
County officials removed the statues in less than one hour after they were erected taking them to an unknown location.
“How did the county government and municipality management allow such a thing? It is a big shame to the new city and there should be value for money,” said John Kosgei, one of the Town residents.
President William Ruto on Thursday awarded a charter to Eldoret town, elevating it to city status, joining the ranks of Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu and Nakuru.
The Uasin Gishu County Government had tough conditions for property owners in facelift campaigns after it met the requirements for promotion to city status.
Among the rigorous requirements include the obligation by building owners to paint premises with a uniform colour not associated with any commercial brand or face a fine or imprisonment for six months and repossession of undeveloped plots.
“All developers must adhere to by-laws related to design of certain buildings as described in the by-laws. They must engage a registered architect and for the purpose of structural design and landlords are to ensure proper disposal of garbage from their premises,” stated the signed notice.
The property owners were required to develop ramps to ease entry into shops by People with Disabilities (PWDs) and install CCTV cameras to boost security and ensure portions of their land are under tree cover.
“The buildings must be properly lit and have ramps to facilitate ease of entry into the shop by PWDS and the aged. Installation of CCTV cameras is encouraged to improve security of premises and all existing and proposed developments to ensure portions of their land is under tree cover that has to be complied within the next six months,” added the notice.
All external walling in private and public buildings must also adhere to bylaws related to resistance to weather and dampness by resisting penetration of rain. Those who fail to do so will be charged under section 32 of the Building Code and on conviction will be liable to a fine or imprisonment of six months.
“In this respect, all un-faced external wall surfaces must be faced externally by rendering not less than 12.5mm thick or similar treatment and where the permeability of the wall requires, the addition of a suitable waterproofing compound shall be necessary,” states the notice.
Fastest growing town
With a population of approximately 500,000 people, Eldoret is ranked as the fastest growing Town now city in the country and acts as a link to East and Central African countries.
“There are many opportunities associated with elevation of the town to city status and now that we have met most of the requirements and it is my appeal that the process will be speeded up,” disclosed Governor Jonathan Bii.
But it is emerging that the Town is still faced with some challenges that might slow down its uplifting to city prominence.
The fifth city in the country continues to experience some challenges in the transport and sewage system that needs to be fixed in order to be upgraded to city statues
A view of a street in Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County on November 17, 2022.
“Sewerage system is still a big challenge. There is still discharge of raw wastes to River Sosiani that cuts across the Town. Some of the residential areas especially informal one are not connected to the sewage system. These are some of the issues that needs to be fixed before the town attains city status,” said David Maina, environmental expert and planner.
Previous administrators including immediate former Governor now Senator Jackson Mandago pledged to fix the problem but in vain.
Governor Bii’s administration is struggling with the challenge of garbage collection despite relocating to the new site at Kipkenyo area.
“The Central Business District (CBD) still is littered with garbage. There is a lot to be done in weeding out hawkers and clearing street urchins an issue the current needs to prioritize,” said Mary Kemboi, one of the entrepreneurs.
According to interviewed residents, the town lacks ample recreational facilities including public parks and arboretums.
“The recreational facilities need to be rehabilitated and upgraded to promote the tourism sector and enable the devolved unit to generate additional revenue as it remodels to city status,” said Wilson Kosgei, an investor in hotel and hospitality industry.
However, some of the dilapidated facilities including the Nandi Park have been transformed into model recreational facilities for the public to relax.
Other activities that need to be done by the county government in collaboration with other stakeholders include painting buildings for aesthetic appeal, marketing cultural memorabilia to promote heritage, climate change through reforestation, and providing more space for expansion from side lanes to provide spaces for business establishment.
Investors in real estate want the devolved unit to enter into a Public-private partnership to offer affordable housing facilities equating city status.
According to Governor Bii, Eldoret — A strategic gateway to East and Central Africa and a fast-growing economic centre has what it takes to be Kenya's fifth-largest city.
