Eldoret is one of the fastest growing urban towns in the country. Located in the Rift Valley region of Kenya, this town has come to be known as the home of champions thanks to the high number of world beating athletes.
According to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, Eldoret is the fifth most populous urban area after Nairobi, Mombasa, Nakuru and Ruiru with a population of 475,716 residents.
Over the years, the town has ushered in new skyscrapers, hotels with the county government doing a good job in improving the road network and service delivery. According to Nairobilawmonthly, 20 commercial buildings in the CBD are owned by athletes who live in the area or migrated to the region.
WoK Takes a look at the tycoons behind major buildings and businesses in Eldoret.
Moses Kiptanui
Moses Kiptanui is a Kenyan athlete who has won the 3,000 meters steeplechase three times. He hit the world headlines after becoming the first athlete to run the steeplechase in under eight minutes. He set a world record that took five years to be broken.
After retiring from athletics, he used the money accumulated over the years to invest heavily in Eldoret town. He is the owner of the famous Utamaduni house situated in Eldoret town. He also owns Komora Centre in Eldoret and Komora Estate in London.
Moses Tanui
His footprint is felt in Eldoret town being the owner of GrandPri Hotel, a hotel he named after winning IAAF Grand Prix races. This, he said, gives him “the memories of earning my first money in athletics.
Also Read: Top Ten Richest Kalenjins And Their Businesses
Laban Rotich
Laban Rotich is a Kenyan athlete who won the IAAF World Cup 1,500 meter final in Johannesburg, South Africa in late 1998. He has been involved in different competitions such as the Commonwealth games, African Championships and the World Indoor Championships where he won either silver or gold medals.
His personal best time stands at 3 hours 29 seconds and 91 milliseconds. The money he accumulated during his athletics career he used to invest in Eldoret town where he owns properties and several apartments.
One of the most famous properties he owns is the Johannesburg Plaza – a high end building in the heart of Eldoret town that he established to pay tribute to his biggest win in his career which was the World cup final held in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Evans Cheruiyot
The athlete owns the Rotterdam Centre, a building he named after his victory in Rotterdam in 2007. He also owns rental houses in the outskirts of Eldoret.
David Langat
David Langat is the founder and chairman of the popular DL Group. He started off his journey in the 1980s while living in Mombasa where he established a company that mainly deals with importing and exporting equipment such as electronics and furniture.
He later expanded into tea production through the DL Koisagat Tea Estate in Nandi County and Kapchabet Tea Factory in Kericho. He later diverted and joined the Real Estate sector through Selenkei Investment – a real estate and development company he founded in 2012.
In 2013, he came up with an idea of setting up an Industrial park in an over 2,000 acre piece of land in Eldoret. The project which is the first privately owned Special Economic Zone is estimated to cost Ksh 200 billion and will be completed within 10 years.
Also Read: David Lagat: Kenyan Billionaire Behind Eldoret Industrial Park
Fred Kiprop
Fred Kiprop is a Kenyan athlete who won the Amsterdam marathon in the late 1990s. He has participated in different races across the world including the 1997 and 1999 Gold Coast Marathon.
After retiring from athletics in the early 2000s, he ventured into business through his company which has interests in the real estate, insurance and large scale farming sectors.
He has several buildings and properties spread out in Eldoret town and the entire Uasin Gishu County. One famous property owned by this athlete is the Kirem Arcade which is the home of a number of banks and offices in Eldoret town.
Mzee David Wakiimba
Mzee David Wakiimba is an Eldoret-based businessman who has accumulated wealth over the years amounting to billions of shillings.
He owns several garages and spare parts shops in Eldoret town and a 100 acre piece of land in the Plateau area of Uasin Gishu County.
He owns a multi-million residential estate in the affluent Elgon view area, vast land spread out in the outskirts of Eldoret town and several flats and apartments in Eldoret and other major towns such as Nakuru and Nairobi.
He also runs a multi-million 100 acre flower farm situated just a few kilometers from Eldoret town. He is among the wealthiest people who control the economy of Eldoret town and Uasin Gishu County at large.
Dr. Swarup Mishra
Dr Swarup Mishra is the current Member of Parliament representing Kesses constituency in Uasin Gishu County. He is a renowned businessman and the chairperson of Mediheal group of hospitals.
The hospital was first established in Eldoret in 2006 and pioneered Assisted Reproductive Techniques (ART) in East Africa. The hospital which has a 150 bed capacity was also the first to perform laparoscopic denor nephrectomy in East Africa. Aside from the medical sector, he has interests in the Real estate owning several properties and buildings in Eldoret town.
Zedekiah Kiprop Bundotich (Buzeki)
Zedekiah Kiprop famously known as Buzeki is a renowned businessman, farmer and politician. He is the founder and owner of Buzeki Group of Companies – a conglomerate dealing with logistics, processing and value addition of dairy products.
He started his journey in Mombasa where he used to hawk milk on a bicycle. He later rose to become the regional sales manager for Kilifi plantation. At his reign he introduced Tuzo milk to the people of the coast and thus making the company the largest distributor of milk in the region.
He later used his savings to start Buzeki limited – a logistics and transport company. He was fortunate to sign deals with big names such as Bamburi Cement and UN-WFP. In 2008 he started Buzeki dairy- a milk processing and packaging company that has a capacity of over 25,000 liters per day.
In 2010 he opened another plant named Molo milk which has a capacity of 250,000 liters of milk per day. He later sold the Molo milk to Brookside in 2012. In 2017, he unsuccessfully vied for the Uasin Gishu gubernatorial seat but was defeated by the incumbent Jackson Mandago. He owns several buildings in Eldoret town worth million home.
Joshua Chepkwony
Joshua Chepkwony is the founder and owner of Kass Media Group – a media entity that owns Kass TV and Kass FM stations which broadcasts in the Kalenjin Vernacular language. He is also the chairman of Jamii telecommunications which is instrumental in the installation of fiber optic cables in Kenya.
He owns Jamii millings – an Eldoret-based company established in 2015. The company mainly deals with buying maize from local farmers and producing maize flour. It produces the famous Jamii Maize flour brand.
He also owns shares at Sergoit Holdings Limited golf in Eldoret. The project which sits on a 3,100 acre piece of land consists of an 18-hole championship golf course, shopping mall, 5 star hotel, private hospital and an airstrip.
Joshua Kulei
Joshua Kulei is the former Personal assistant of the late President Daniel Arap Moi. He is said to have jointly acquired vast wealth with President Moi during his reign in power. According to the Kroll report, Kulei owns Sovereign Group which has shares in different investments such as Ngata flowers, Siginon group, InterContinental hotel, Hilton hotel, Sian Roses and Regent Group East Africa. He also owns several buildings and apartments in Eldoret town.
