The big makeover
But the dusty town of Isiolo is in the process of getting a very major face-lift. Kenya’s Vision 2030 economic development plan calls for the town to become a major tourist resort which will include hotels, casinos, upscale retail outlets with a modern airport and other transport facilities.
The town is also at the confluence of routes that connect it to Ethiopia, South Sudan and
Uganda. The proposed multi-billion-dollar Lamu Port, South Sudan, Ethiopia Transport (Lapsset) corridor will use Isiolo as the hub for its rail, road and pipeline routes connecting Kenya’s eastern neighbours to the proposed new port in Lamu.
Isiolo has a long tradition as a military town, hosting both the Kenyan as well as British armed forces. Local populations include the Boran, the Samburu and the Somali although there is a vibrant cosmopolitan community in the small urban centre.
According to Lapsset Corridor Development Authority (LCDA), a newly created state agency, the area around Kipsing Hill and Gap in Isiolo, covering some 6,200 acres, is earmarked for the proposed resort city. $184m from government and a further $83m from the private sector is budgeted for the building of the resort city, which will include hotels, amusement parks, golf courses and accompanying amenities
Just before the 2013 general election that brought Uhuru Kenyatta to power, the former President, Mwai Kibaki presided over the ground-breaking ceremony for a new international airport which is expected to be able to handle over 600,000 passengers. A car park for 200 cars is also under construction.
A 507 km bitumen road connecting Isiolo to Moyale on the Ethiopian border (the town is partly in Kenya and partly in Ethiopia) is almost complete. Once commissioned, it will serve as a very important trade artery, particularly when the new port at Lamu is open for business. Agreements for the construc tion of the port have already been signed.
All these activities have spurred sharp new interest in Isiolo. Entrepreneurs from Nairobi and other cities have been flocking to the town, looking for opportunities in the meat, tourism, construction and other sectors.
Corporate types are weighing up the prospects of opening supermarkets, bank branches and high-value showrooms. Fierce completion among real estate agents and the demand for land has sent property prices sky-rocketing.
An acre of land in Isiolo, which would have been difficult to sell for $2,500, can now fetch up to $1m. Wealthy individuals are reportedly gladly parting with a lot of cash for both residential as well as commercial property.