Voi, Kenya
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Voi Ore |
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| Municipality & Town | |
Voi town center.
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 Voi
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| Coordinates: 03°23′26″S 38°34′37″E / 3.39056°S 38.57694°ECoordinates: 03°23′26″S 38°34′37″E / 3.39056°S 38.57694°E | |
| Country | Kenya |
| Province | Coast Province |
| County | Taita-Taveta County |
| Location | Voi Location |
| Town | 1932 |
| Elevation | 580 m (1,900 ft) |
| Population (2009) | |
| • Municipality & Town | 45,483 |
| • Urban | 17,152 |
| • Rural | 28,331 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
Voi is the largest town in Taita-Taveta County in southern Kenya, in the former Coast Province. It lies at the western edge of the Taru Desert, south and west of the Tsavo East National Park. The Sagala Hills are to the south. Voi is also a municipality.
Voi is a marketplace for the agricultural and meat products from the fertile Taita Hills as well as other surrounding areas. Voi's town centre consists of mostly general stores, shops, markets, kiosks and a few hotels. Most lodges that service tourists for the national park are located in the suburbs at the edge of town. The Voi Sisal Estates are located to the west of the town. A large squatter community exists in the Mwatate Sisal Estates, also to the west of town.
According to local history the name of town comes from a slave trader called Chief Kivoi who settled near the Voi River about 400 years ago. There after the village grew as a trading centre for the local Taita people with other Kenyan tribes and Arabs.
The town started to grow at the end of the 19th century when the Uganda Railway was constructed. People started to move in to work on the railway and the nearby sisal estates. However, township status with an area of about 16.27 square kilometres (6.28 sq mi) was not granted until 1932. The town has long since outgrown the original grant.
Voi is at the junction of the feeder Kenya-Uganda Railway to Taveta, Kenya and Arusha, Tanzania with the main line between Nairobi and Mombasa and thus has a major railway station. A new Standard Gauge Railway from Mombasa to Nairobi is being constructed and will be finished late 2016. The railway passes through Voi and has a major Station in Kasarani area.
Taxis can be found in the town centre. Fares are negotiated, not regulated.
Matatus (Minibus/Sharetaxis) run between the town centre and surrounding areas. There are also matatus traveling to Nairobi, Mombasa, Wundanyi, Taveta,Kasighau, Mbololo and other places.
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Wikipedia