New entertainment spots make night life in town a great joy

The mushrooming of private institutions of higher learning and a keen following of the English soccer Premier League have led to the rapid increase of fairly modern entertainment spots and hotels in Eldoret town as investors seek to capture the emerging market.

Previously, bar and hotel owners only made sure there were a shelf for bottles of beer, a few beer and soda crates behind the counter and tired-looking and uninterested staff manning the counters.

However, the new centres, which are concentrated along Oloo Street, at the central business district are now turning night life into a different kind of entertainment. Most have gone a step further and had professional artists decorate their premises.

They are then equipped with 27-inch, flat-screen TV sets, positioned strategically in the halls and facing all directions, says the manager of The Cave, Mr Henry Chelang’a.

What’s best for them

“I decided to give my clients what I consider best for them,” he adds. The Cave, which has both nyama and kuku choma sections complete with a Chinese restaurant, has no dancing floor. Instead, it offers a spacious bar with comfortable seats. The spot has also introduced “Karaoke Nites”, the first such form of entertainment in the town.

Resident DJ Ben says he plays traditional tunes and soul, which he adds are do down well with most patrons. Dongku Restaurant is great attraction to revellers. Given the facelift, The Cave has become a great attraction, especially to people wishing to relax in a living-room environment.

“The Cave is slowly picking up, and for the two weeks we have been operating, I am glad to say we’re not disappointed,” Mr Chelang’a. Bubbles Inn, complete with ample parking, soothes music lovers with the best of rhumba and coastal tunes as they enjoy nutritious and sumptuous meals.

Signature, which also opened recently, has large TV screens which attract football lovers, especially when popular European League sides such as Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Barcelona and Real Madrid are on show live. The bar is large enough to allow enough space for patrons to shake a leg, especially when the bottle begins to take effect.

Most of the spots have also introduced powerful sound machines which offer booming music. Lovers of live bands have not been forgotten as Sesia Club specialises in this area. “Sesia has continuously attracted patrons and we are doing all we can to ensure that we sustain the tempo,” says Mr Gabriel Rono, the manager. The resident band, which starts playing just after 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, offers renditions of numbers by local greats as well as rhumba and coastal tunes.

The Jamnazi Afrika group, which is famed for songs such as Riziki and I Am not Sober, performs here on Saturdays and Sundays. With peace creeping back into the town after the post-election violence of early 2008, night life has been given a boost. A traveller entering Eldoret in the early hours of the morning is woken up by a cacophony of music from all directions.

In streets like Oginga Odinga, life never stops after sunset, what with butcheries also having a field day as they sell meat to night revellers. Most of the butcheries in the street are also eateries and offer a range of food that goes with meat and meat products.

Central business district

The Places, also in the central business district and on the main Nakuru-Kitale highway, has also remained steady, especially with discos. In general, hardly will one come across a new building without a modern entertainment spot and most of this are now the target of entrepreneurs who want to venture into the field.

Most learning institutions are either in town or close by, and with taxis operating throughout the day and night, most students enjoy themselves until well into the night. And police, in uniform or plain clothes, take positions to make sure there is security for all revellers. Uasin Gishu district head of police, Mr Kioko Muinde, has also banned the use of motor-cycle taxis (boda boda) after 10pm, arguing that darkness reduces visibility and that accidents are likely to occur.