From Wattle to Plots: The Story of Former EATEC Land in Uasin Gishu

By William Kiptoo

For most of the 20th century, the East African Tanning Extract Company (EATEC) ran vast wattle plantations on the Uasin Gishu Plateau, with Eldoret as its nerve center. At its peak, EATEC managed nearly 20,000 hectares of black wattle, processed in local factories into tannin for the global leather industry. When the market for natural tannin collapsed in the late 1990s, EATEC wound down operations. By the early 2000s, its estates were sold or subdivided, creating the patchwork of plots we know today.

Key Former EATEC Blocks

1. Pioneer Ngeria Block 1 EATEC
  • Location: South and southeast of Eldoret, covering Pioneer, Ngeria, Annex, and parts of Kapseret.
  • Now: Dense housing in Annex and Pioneer, schools, churches, small shops, and land affected by the Eldoret Bypass.
  • Notable: One of the largest and most contested former EATEC blocks, with thousands of individual plots.
2. Kapseret and Chepkatet Side Blocks
  • Location: Chepkatet, Lemook, and Inder areas of Kapseret Constituency.
  • Now: A mix of smallholder farms and fast-growing residential estates near Chepkatet Market.
  • Notable: Some parcels remain in dispute due to squatter claims dating back to the plantation era.
3. Kingongo and Eastern Eldoret
  • Location: East and northeast of Eldoret, near Kingongo and the new Bypass route.
  • Now: Ribbon estates and light commercial hubs along major roads.
  • Notable: Several parcels were acquired for public works, especially the Bypass.
4. Kaptagat Road Industrial Zone
  • Location: South of Eldoret town along Kaptagat Road.
  • Now: Timber treatment yards, pole depots, and repurposed industrial plots.
  • Notable: Once the heart of EATEC’s processing operations.

Why It Matters Today

These former EATEC lands are now among the fastest-growing urban and peri-urban areas in Uasin Gishu. Their history explains why so many plot numbers begin with “Pioneer Ngeria Block 1 EATEC” and why land disputes in these areas are still common. From tannin trees to housing estates, the wattle legacy has shaped Eldoret’s modern landscape.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Lochab Bros family company, Eldoret

Image
Compiled by William Kiptoo Source:  LOCHAB BROS is one of the big names among the pioneer settlers of Eldoret from India. They represent the various business of the family and signifies the strength and unity of the Joint family System to everyone. The unique system in the Lochabs is that they stay with their families under the same roof and eat together from the food of the same kitchen. Family history dates to 1887, when the pioneer, Late Mr Hira Singh Lochab came from Ishapur, Punjab, to make a fortune in Kenya. His son Late Mr Ghumand Singh Lochab joined the Marine Department of Kenya Railways. At that time, Kenya was the HQ of the East African Community, and it was difficult to get a technical job under the colonial system and by dint of his hard work and dedication, he rose to the position of 2nd Engineer, which was generally reserved for the Britishers. He worked for the Railways in Uganda and Kenya till 1939 and started a Sawmill in partnership at Kaptagat. In 1941, he came...
Read more

Early History of the Uasin Gishu

Image
  A few notes on the early history of the Uasin Gishu f rom the Kenya Scrapbook  b y A.C. Hoey. *** PART 1:  (This piece was written about 1956 for a church magazine) Few people had heard of the Uasin Gishu Plateau prior to the year 1900, and the first reference I can find is that made by Major JR MacDonald RE who headed a survey party in the years 1891 1894, exploring a route for a railway to be built from Mombasa to Uganda. In his book "Soldiering and Surveying in British East Africa" he specially refers to the rolling downs and beautiful grass country of the Uasin Gishu when he was making his way from Naivasha to Mumias.  It was in 1905 that I met in Naivasha a very nice Afrikander by the name of Van Breda who was keen on taking up land in the southernmost part of Uasin Gishu Plateau, near the Elgeyo Escarpment. It was about this time, having heard of the wonderful shooting to be obtained in the Uasin Gishu, that I made a safari. I had considerable difficulty in o...
Read more

The History of the Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA) and Its Ties with the South African Dutch Reformed Church (DRC)

Image
From the history of the Reformed Church of East Africa In the early 1900s, some people from the Boer republics in South Africa moved to Eastern Africa after the Anglo-Boer War. They didn't want to live under British rule, so they settled in Kenya. These migrant farmers were part of the Reformed Churches in South Africa. They formed their own congregation called Vergenoeg in Eldoret, Kenya. The land there was fertile and perfect for farming. At that time, Kenya was still a German colony called German East Africa, but it would soon become a British colony after World War I.  Rev. M. P. Loubser became the first minister of the congregation. He, along with other farmers, established a ministry among the farmworkers. In 1944, the congregation decided to call its first full-time missionary. Rev. Loubser had left money in his will specifically for mission work, which made this possible. They bought a school building called Broederstroom, which is now known as Plateau, to be used as a miss...
Read more