The area that is now Eldoret and indeed the plateau around it had been occupied by the Sirikwa for several centuries prior to the era of Maasai ascendancy.
Innovation in weaponry, brought about the Maasai era of the late 18th and 19th centuries.
With new weapons and forms of governance, they swept down from their original homelands in the north, closer to Lake Turkana, down to their present homelands south of Kenya.
The Maasai clan that took over the Plateau were known as the Ilwasin Kishu, after whom it is presently named.

In August 1908, fifty-eight families of displaced Afrikaners left Nakuru for the Uasin Gishu plateau after a journey from South Africa by sea and by rail from Mombasa.
Led by Jan van Rensburg, they endured an arduous trek laden as they were with wagons that would often get bogged in mud, finally arriving at Sergoit Hill on 22 October of that year.
Jan Ernest Kruger would later own the 5,000 Sergoit farm, now owned by Sergoit Golf and Wildlife resort.

The land had earlier been surveyed by a certain van Breda and the new arrivals took up leaseholds of between 320 and 2,020 hectares (800 and 5,000 acres) on condition that they would develop it within five years.
Each family built a shack, put up fences, in-spanned oxen to simple ploughs and turned the first furrows.
They sowed wheat, maize and vegetables laying the foundation for the transformation of the Plateau into a prosperous agricultural region.

The farms were later officially registered and each was given a number.

Eldoret was established in the midst of the farms they created on what was known to the settlers as "Farm 64", "64" or "Sisibo" to the locals because at that time it was 103 kilometres (64 mi) from the newly built Uganda Railway railhead at Kibigori.
Willy van Aardt owned the farm.
The Central Lounge in Eldoret is all that remains of Willy's farm.

The official town site started in 1910 with the development of a Post Office at "Sisibo".
This was followed shortly after by the arrival of sixty more Afrikaner families in 1911.
The governor decided to establish an administrative centre in the area 1912 and thus the Post Office was renamed from "64" to a new official town name: "Eldoret".
Becoming an administrative centre caused an enormous increase in trade within the prospective city.
A bank and several shops were built.

The Uganda Railway extension, from Kibigori toward Uganda, reached Eldoret in 1924, starting a new era of prosperity and growth.
In 1928, a piped water supply from the Sosiani River was installed.
In 1933, the East African Power and Lighting Company installed an electricity generator plant.
By that time, Eldoret had a small airport, and low-cost rental housing had been constructed.

In the 1950s the town was literally divided into two, along the main street (now Uganda Road), with the Afrikaans on the north and the British on the south.
The former took their children to Highland School, (now Moi Girls High School) and the latter, to Hill School.
Recreation was also along the divide – 'Brits' used the Lincoln Hotel and the Race-Course near the now "Chinese Area" while the Afrikaans converged at the Wagon Wheel for recreation.

Daniel Arap Moi was born in the neighbouring Baringo District, and under his presidency, the town was developed further.
The country's second institution of higher learning, Moi University was established by the government in 1984 and the third international airport was subsequently constructed, significantly boosting the fortunes of the town.

By 1987, only two Afrikaner households remained in Eldoret, with the rest having moved back to South Africa in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the aftermath of the Mau Mau rebellion and in anticipation of independence.

The city was significantly impacted by the 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis when violence gripped Kenya in the aftermath of controversial presidential elections.
The athlete Lucas Sang was murdered about ten kilometres away from the town while on his way home to Chepkoilel.
On 1 January 2008,  a mob attacked and set fire to a church located near burnt fore
The area that is now Eldoret and indeed the plateau around it had been occupied by the Sirikwa for several centuries prior to the era of Maasai ascendancy. Innovation in weaponry, brought about the Maasai era of the late 18th and 19th centuries. With new weapons and forms of governance, they swept down from their original homelands in the north, closer to Lake Turkana, down to their present homelands south of Kenya. The Maasai clan that took over the Plateau were known as the Ilwasin Kishu, after whom it is presently named.
In August 1908, fifty-eight families of displaced Afrikaners left Nakuru for the Uasin Gishu plateau after a journey from South Africa by sea and by rail from Mombasa. Led by Jan van Rensburg, they endured an arduous trek laden as they were with wagons that would often get bogged in mud, finally arriving at Sergoit Hill on 22 October of that year. Jan Ernest Kruger would later own the 5,000 Sergoit farm, now owned by Sergoit Golf and Wildlife resort.
The land had earlier been surveyed by a certain van Breda and the new arrivals took up leaseholds of between 320 and 2,020 hectares (800 and 5,000 acres) on condition that they would develop it within five years. Each family built a shack, put up fences, in-spanned oxen to simple ploughs and turned the first furrows. They sowed wheat, maize and vegetables laying the foundation for the transformation of the Plateau into a prosperous agricultural region.
The farms were later officially registered and each was given a number.
Eldoret was established in the midst of the farms they created on what was known to the settlers as "Farm 64", "64" or "Sisibo" to the locals because at that time it was 103 kilometres (64 mi) from the newly built Uganda Railway railhead at Kibigori. Willy van Aardt owned the farm. The Central Lounge in Eldoret is all that remains of Willy's farm.
The official town site started in 1910 with the development of a Post Office at "Sisibo". This was followed shortly after by the arrival of sixty more Afrikaner families in 1911. The governor decided to establish an administrative centre in the area 1912 and thus the Post Office was renamed from "64" to a new official town name: "Eldoret". Becoming an administrative centre caused an enormous increase in trade within the prospective city. A bank and several shops were built.
The Uganda Railway extension, from Kibigori toward Uganda, reached Eldoret in 1924, starting a new era of prosperity and growth. In 1928, a piped water supply from the Sosiani River was installed. In 1933, the East African Power and Lighting Company installed an electricity generator plant. By that time, Eldoret had a small airport, and low-cost rental housing had been constructed.
In the 1950s the town was literally divided into two, along the main street (now Uganda Road), with the Afrikaans on the north and the British on the south. The former took their children to Highland School, (now Moi Girls High School) and the latter, to Hill School. Recreation was also along the divide – 'Brits' used the Lincoln Hotel and the Race-Course near the now "Chinese Area" while the Afrikaans converged at the Wagon Wheel for recreation.
Daniel Arap Moi was born in the neighbouring Baringo District, and under his presidency, the town was developed further. The country's second institution of higher learning, Moi University was established by the government in 1984 and the third international airport was subsequently constructed, significantly boosting the fortunes of the town.
By 1987, only two Afrikaner households remained in Eldoret, with the rest having moved back to South Africa in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the aftermath of the Mau Mau rebellion and in anticipation of independence.
The city was significantly impacted by the 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis when violence gripped Kenya in the aftermath of controversial presidential elections. The athlete Lucas Sang was murdered about ten kilometres away from the town while on his way home to Chepkoilel. On 1 January 2008,  a mob attacked and set fire to a church located near burnt fore
Eldoret