UASIN GISHU COUNTY REVIEW
Uashin Gishu County is located in the Rift valley and covers a total area of 3,345.2 kilometres squared. It borders Kericho, Marakwet, Baringo and Trans Nzoia Counties. Some of the districts mapped in the county include Eldoret West, Wareng and Eldoret East.
POPULATION
According to the national census that was carried out in 2009, the total number of people living in the Uasin Gishu County is approximated to be 894,179. 38.6 % of the total population reside in the urban areas while the rest of the population lives in the rural areas. The population density of the county is also documented as 267 persons per kilometre squared.
CONSTITUENCIES
Uasin Gishu County comprises of three constituencies namely:
• Eldoret North
• Eldoret East
• Eldoret South
GEOGRAPGHY AND CLIMATE
Uashin Gishu County is one of the regions that have favourable climatic conditions that favour growth of a wide variety of crops and livestock keeping. The region has a high altitude of 2400 meters above the sea level. Some areas however have a low altitude of 1800 metres above the sea level like Sergoit plateau, Soy and Turbo. Other regions that have a high altitude of above 2400 metres include Timboroa, Ainabkoi and Kipkabus.
Due to the high altitude the region has moderate temperatures of between 8.4 degrees Celsius during the cold months and 27 degrees Celsius during the hot month. The coldest month is July while the hottest month is usually January. However this pattern is expected to change due to climate change and global warming.
The county receives an average rainfall of between 900mm and 1200mm, it falls in two seasons and this in turn enables the farmers to grow a wide variety of crops. The soils are red volcanic loam soils that contain all the major plant nutrients required by the crops. Due to the high ground cover in almost all parts of the county, soil erosion and landslides are not experienced in the county.
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture is one of the major economic activities carried out in Uasin Gishu County. Most of the agricultural activities are carried out on large scale and this in turn helps to boost the economy and food security of the county. The region is best known for the high production of maize that is used to feed a large proportion of the population in the country.
Maize is grown in plantations that are distributed all over the county especially in the lowlands. Farmers use tractors and other farm machineries to prepare and harvest the produce from their farms. There are a number of flour processing factories in the county that buy the maize from the farmers and use it to process flour and other products such as animal feed.
Livestock keeping is also practised in the county, farmers keep dairy and beef cattle and this ensures that the high demand for animal products is satisfied effectively. There are a number of dairy farms that are known for the high production of milk that is processed and packed for dale in the neighbouring towns such as Nairobi and Kericho.
Other crops that are grown include wheat, vegetables and certain fruits. Some of the produce is consumed locally while the surplus is sold in the various agricultural markets in the county.
ECONOMY
Agriculture is the major economic activity in Uasin Gishu County; farmers produce a wide range of farm produce that is purchased by the various factories and other traders that transport the product such as maize to different parts of the country. There are a total of nineteen commercial banks and eleven micro finance institutions that provide affordable and reliable financial services to the residents.
Large scale maize farming and intensive production of wheat are some of the major agricultural activities carried out in the region. Dairy farming also provides farmers with lucrative source of income for their various agricultural purposes.
Sports tourism is one of the tourism attractions in Uashin Gishu County, various athletics events that attract a large number of both local and international tourists are held in Uashin Gishu County.
HEALTH AND EDUCATION
There are a total of seven hundred and seventy one primary schools and over one hundred secondary schools. This helps to ensure that all young persons in the region get access to quality and affordable basic education. There are also fourteen tertiary institutions that offer scholars higher education in the various fields.
Uasin Gishu County has many health facilities, they include eighty dispensaries and twenty three health centres hence residents have easy access to health services.
