Nakuru: Kenya’s Political ‘Bedroom And Food Basket’ To Become A City

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 30- Nakuru, a cosmopolitan County in the Rift Valley and arguably Kenya’s political bedroom and food basket, is set to become a city.

This was announced by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday, when he made his State of the Nation Address, to a bicameral sitting of Parliament.

Nakuru municipality will be declared a city, five months after the Senate approved the bid to elevate its status.

Nakuru will now become the fourth city in Kenya. Others are Nairobi, Kisumu, and Mombasa.

“I will on December 1, 2021, confer Nakuru, the city status,” the President said.

Though born in Baringo, the third President of Kenya Daniel Arap Moi lived in Nakuru, on an expansive farm in Kabarak.

He was buried on the farm after his death on February 4, 2020.

Nakuru is home to Naivasha, an agricultural sub-county and a tourist destination. It is County number 32 out of the 47 Kenyan Counties.

Administratively, Nakuru County is subdivided into eleven sub-counties and fifty 55 wards.

Nakuru is the third most populous county in Kenya after Nairobi County and Kiambu County, in that order.

With an area of 7,496.5 km², it is Kenya’s 19th largest county in size. Until August 21, 2010, it formed part of Rift Valley Province.

The current Governor of Nakuru County is Lee Kinyanjui.