Mahindi Hotel, located in the central business district of Eldoret, was a favored destination during the 1980s, providing a range of entertainment, dining, and accommodation services.
The establishment, a three-story structure, also accommodated several businesses, including the popular Mini Bar, which featured a Jukebox appealing to music enthusiasts.
At one time, Mahindi Hotel held the distinction of being the tallest building in the area until the New Miyako Hotel was completed in 1980.
The hotel was named in honor of its proprietor, Mahindi Gitonga, who is the elder sibling of Ngugi Gitonga, the owner of Sosiani View Hotel and Eldo Bliss Hotel located on the nearby street.
Hailing from Gakoe village in Kiambu, their father, Gitonga, was employed by a European settler in Kiambu and imparted bicycle repair skills to his sons, which he had learned from the settler.
Following the declaration of the Mau Mau emergency in 1952, both Mahindi and Ngugi actively participated in the struggle against British colonial rule, taking refuge in the Aberdare Forest until Kenya achieved independence in 1963.
Following independence, Mahindi and Ngugi established a bicycle repair enterprise in Subukia, located in Nakuru County, before relocating to Kapsabet and ultimately settling in Eldoret in 1968.
With the assistance of a bank loan, Mahindi acquired the land on which Mahindi Hotel currently stands and constructed the building.
Concurrently, Ngugi continued to operate his bicycle repair business and became actively involved in the Nyakinyua land buying company, aiding numerous members of the Kikuyu community in securing land in the Rift Valley.
In 1985, Mahindi moved to Nairobi to explore additional business opportunities.
While Mahindi passed away in 2016 and Ngugi in 2020, the legacy of Mahindi Hotel and the Gitonga brothers endures in Eldoret.
