Eldoret-based boda boda operator Alexander Tanui used to spend much of his working day calling customers to ask where their gates were.
The 38-year-old, who works from Oloo Street, now relies on digital location pins instead, one sign of how Kenya’s fourth-largest city is trying to end its dependence on landmarks and verbal directions. Getting around could soon be as simple as scanning a code on a street sign.
For years, finding an address in the North Rift city has meant asking for directions, making repeated phone calls or relying on familiar landmarks. Missing and vandalised street signs made it difficult for residents and visitors to navigate parts of the city.
Now street-name plates are reappearing, alongside a new system of QR-coded addresses on street and building plates meant to help people locate destinations with ease. The county also plans a digital platform to bring together navigation, traffic information and other city services.
A member of the public scans a QR code on a sign mounted on a building along Oginga Odinga Street in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County on October 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
The exercise began as Eldoret prepared to host the Mashujaa Day celebrations at Kipchoge Keino Stadium and is still going on, as part of a wider facelift that included road repairs, improved street lighting, building repainting and the planting of trees and flowers.
Beyond the city’s new appearance, the changes could have a practical impact on people who depend on clear directions to conduct business, deliver goods and move around unfamiliar neighbourhoods. For them, the difference between finding an address quickly and asking for directions can affect an entire working day.
Mr Tanui says the changes are beginning to make everyday journeys easier. He has witnessed the transformation of roads and the introduction of digital addressing as the city works to improve its appearance and functionality.
Digital location pins have helped address one of the frustrations of his job: finding a customer’s gate. He no longer has to call customers repeatedly to establish directions.
He says road repairs and improved street lighting have made his work easier, allowing him to operate later into the evening and improving the riding experience for his customers.
“The roads used to be full of potholes and customers were afraid to sit, but now they ride calmly and I go faster and safer,” he says.
City manager Elzeba Busienei says many of Eldoret’s streets already had names, but their plates had been vandalised.
The restoration was therefore meant to reinstate the signs and make navigation easier as the city prepared to host the national celebrations.
The restored plates carry names associated with prominent athletes, freedom fighters and political leaders. They include Kipchoge Keino, Jackson Mandago, Ronald Ngala and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, alongside established street names such as Oloo Street, Uganda Road and Kenyatta Street.
The city management says the naming is intended to make streets more easily identifiable while recognising people associated with the city and the country’s history. Ms Busienei says this is the first batch of street naming and restoration, with more roads expected to be named as the city implements its development plans.
For residents, businesses and visitors, the signs offer identifiable reference points in a city where directions have often depended on landmarks and verbal explanations. Their absence makes it difficult for people unfamiliar with an area to distinguish streets or locate particular buildings and offices.
Resident Philemon Kipchirchir says naming streets after prominent local figures recognises their contributions and gives them a place in the city’s public spaces.
A signage of Uganda Road in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County on October 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
The exercise also raises questions about how Eldoret represents its history through street names and the people it chooses to honour.
Moi University historian Prof Jeremiah Oduori says naming streets after environmentalists, athletes, freedom fighters and political leaders can help reclaim the city’s identity and decolonise the representation of public spaces.
Street names, he says, are part of how a city records and communicates its history, keeping alive the memory of people whose achievements and service have shaped the country.
The restored plates, therefore, serve two purposes: helping people identify locations and keeping the names of prominent figures visible in the city’s everyday life.
Restoring the signs is only one part of the county’s plans to improve navigation. QR codes on street and building signs give users access to location information through their mobile phones, linking them to geographical coordinates.
The system is intended to reduce reliance on verbal directions and familiar landmarks, particularly for people navigating unfamiliar areas, and could benefit motorists, delivery operators, businesses and visitors.
Ms Busienei says the county plans to introduce an application that will bring together navigation and other city information. The proposed platform is expected to help users locate buildings and offices, obtain information about destinations and access traffic updates.
It is also intended to offer emergency assistance, e-commerce, advertising and public participation, enabling residents to submit suggestions and engage with the city administration.
Beyond navigation, the county expects digital mapping to support urban management by improving property identification and revenue mapping, helping the administration identify properties and manage city resources.
However, the QR-coded plates and the proposed application are separate components of the initiative. While the codes are being introduced on street and building signs, the wider digital platform remains part of the county’s plans.
Public service vehicle operator Dancan Kipkemboi says residents and motorists will need time to become familiar with the new street names. He believes the proposed application could make navigation easier and help motorists avoid traffic jams.
For the system to work effectively, residents, businesses and transport operators will have to adopt the names and use them consistently.
A signage for Kenyatta Street in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County on October 28, 2026.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
Many have relied on landmarks and informal directions for years, so the transition may take time. The application’s usefulness will depend on the county implementing the plan and ensuring that the digital services deliver the information and assistance promised.
It is expected to complement the restored signs by providing another way to identify destinations and access city information.
The restoration is taking place alongside wider changes to Eldoret’s urban environment that gathered pace ahead of Mashujaa Day. Road repairs, cabro pavements, building repainting, street lighting and the planting of trees and flowers along highways formed part of the preparations. The county has also been working on the 15,000-seater Kipchoge Keino Stadium and improvements to public spaces.
However, residents have questioned whether the developments will continue now that the national event has passed. Mr Patrick Kibet is among those sceptical about whether the work will be sustained beyond the celebrations, held last week.
Ms Busienei assures residents that the projects were not intended solely for Mashujaa Day and improvements will continue gradually. The city management says the preparations only provided an opportunity to advance developments meant to benefit Eldoret beyond the national event, with more roads to be named and additional projects launched. Naming of streets and expansion of digital addressing form part of that commitment, the city manager says.
Residents say sustaining the gains will require more than installing new plates. The county will need to maintain the restored signs, replace any that are vandalised and follow through on its plans for the digital application.
The initiative’s success will also depend on whether residents and businesses adopt the street names and the digital system becomes a reliable tool for locating destinations.
The facelift also extends to waste management. Governor Jonathan Chelilim Bii launched the My City, My Responsibility campaign to promote cleanliness and discourage irresponsible waste disposal. Under the initiative, the county plans to distribute 100 litter bins and 10 dumpsters.
The governor has warned that people who litter public spaces or dump waste illegally will face severe penalties. The campaign is intended to improve waste disposal and help maintain public spaces as the county continues with other improvements.
The governor said the ongoing initiatives address different aspects of Eldoret’s urban development: restored plates provide identifiable reference points, QR-coded addresses introduce digital location information and the proposed application is expected to widen access to navigation and city services.
Whether the changes translate into a lasting improvement in how people navigate and experience the city will depend on the county’s ability to maintain the infrastructure, deliver the promised digital services and sustain the wider facelift beyond the national celebrations.
