This timeline documents major events and developments in Uasin Gishu County's history, from the pre-colonial era through the present.
Pre-colonial Era
Indigenous Kalenjin (Nandi and Kipsigis subgroups) inhabited the Rift Valley highlands for centuries, maintaining pastoral and agropastoral livelihood systems.
Colonial Period (1890s-1963)
1890s-1900: British colonial forces establish administrative control over the Rift Valley region, displacing and marginalizing indigenous Kalenjin populations.
1901: Railway from Mombasa to Lake Victoria completed, with station established at what would become Eldoret City, transforming the region's economic geography.
1901-1920: Approximately 400,000 acres of productive Rift Valley land are appropriated for European settler farms, confining Kalenjin populations to smaller reserves.
1908: Boer settlers from South Africa arrive and establish wheat farming, introducing commercial agriculture and technological innovations that define agricultural development patterns.
1912: Eldoret City officially established as a colonial trading post and railway terminus.
1920s-1930s: Settler agriculture, particularly wheat farming, expands significantly, creating a prosperous settler-farming economy.
Post-Independence Era (1963-2000)
1963: Kenya gains independence; power devolves from colonial administrators to post-colonial government. Land market liberalizes, enabling Kikuyu land purchases in the Rift Valley.
1960s-1970s: Substantial Kikuyu land acquisition in Uasin Gishu occurs, with Kikuyu purchasing settler farms and government lands, accumulating wealth through agriculture and business.
1978-2002: Daniel arap Moi's presidency; the Rift Valley becomes a political stronghold, receiving substantial government investment.
1984: Moi University established in Eldoret City as a flagship higher education institution, driving urban growth and educational expansion.
1980s-1990s: Iten Running Camp emerges as a global distance running hub; elite distance runners from the region achieve Olympic and world championship success. Eliud Kipchoge and others emerge as world champions.
1990s: Multi-party democracy reintroduced; Uasin Gishu becomes contested political terrain between national coalitions.
Contemporary Era (2000-Present)
2003-2007: William Ruto serves as Minister of Education, rising to prominence as a political figure.
December 2007: Disputed presidential election triggers post-election violence nationwide.
2008 (January 1): Kiambaa church burning kills approximately 35 people, becoming the defining atrocity of the post-election crisis. Hundreds more die in Eldoret and surrounding areas.
2008: Post-election violence displaces tens of thousands of Kikuyu and other residents from Uasin Gishu, reshaping county demographics.
2010: New Kenya constitution adopted, creating devolved county government system.
2013: County government system implemented; first elections for county governor held. Kipchoge Keino elected as first Uasin Gishu county governor.
2013-2022: William Ruto serves as Vice President under President Uhuru Kenyatta.
2017-2022: Jackson Mandago serves as Uasin Gishu county governor.
2018-2019: Eliud Kipchoge breaks the sub-two-hour marathon barrier in Vienna, October 2019, achieving 1:59:40.
2020 (July): Tokyo Olympics held (delayed from 2020 due to COVID-19); Eliud Kipchoge wins second Olympic marathon gold medal.
2022: William Ruto elected president of Kenya, becoming the first president from Uasin Gishu.
2022-present: Uasin Gishu enters a new political era with one of its own as national president, creating expectations of preferential resource allocation and political representation.
See Also
Uasin Gishu Eldoret City Eliud Kipchoge Kiambaa Church Burning 2008 William Ruto and Uasin Gishu