Leading corporates rev up business in Eldoret

For a town that suffered greatly during the deadly post-election violence 10 years ago, the recent interest shown in Eldoret by leading corporates has boosted its push for full recovery.

The firms are keen to set up regional offices to serve the western and northern parts of Kenya.

The 2007-08 post-election violence brought the town to its knees as hundreds of residents were killed and property worth millions of shillings destroyed following a disputed presidential election that sparked deadly protests across the country.

The town, in Uasin Gishu County, was the epicentre of the violence that led to at least 1,133 deaths and displacement of over 600, 000 people countrywide. Although its recovery has been slow, the recent move by Safaricom, the country’s leading telecommunications firm, to set up its first call centre outside Nairobi region and Toyota’s decision to build a Sh400 million multi-brand facility have given the town a stamp of faith as it seeks to become a city as part of its recovery.

Last week Thursday, the giant motor vehicle company became the second firm in less than a month to spread its tentacles to the North Rift’s main town.

The firm’s Kenya managing director Arvinder Reel said they picked the town because of its vibrancy and ease of business.

“As Toyota Kenya we chose to set up the facility in Eldoret due to the county government’s move to provide an enabling environment to do business, the ease of doing business in the county, a vibrant business community, a host of banks and financial institutions and good infrastructure, among other factors,” said Mr Reel during the ground-breaking ceremony.

The facility, to be completed in one year, sits on a four-acre piece of land at Annex estate, on the busy Eldoret-Nakuru highway and will cost Sh450 million. It will host several brands and franchises, including Hino, Suzuki, Yamaha, CASE IH, Mercedes, Jeep and Volkswagen which are part of the larger CFAO group to which Toyota Kenya belongs.

It is its second biggest investment in the county by the company following the construction of Toyota Tsusho Fertiliser Africa Ltd, at Ngeria on the outskirts of the town that produces Baraka brand of fertiliser.