Eldoret introduces QR codes on street signs — Nation Kenya
In the city of Eldoret in Kenya, QR codes have begun to be installed on street-name signs and buildings, enabling users to obtain a location’s geographic coordinates via a mobile phone. The initiative is intended to simplify navigation for residents, drivers, couriers, businesses and city visitors, Nation Kenya reports.
From landmarks to digital addresses
For many years, Eldoret residents often explained routes using well-known landmarks or by phone. Navigation was also complicated by the absence of street-name signs and damage to them. The city authorities are now restoring such signs and combining them with a digital address system.
Eldoret City Manager Elzeba Busienei said that many streets already had names, but their signs had been damaged by vandals. The restored signs now feature names associated with prominent athletes, independence fighters and political figures. These include Kipchoge Keino, Jackson Mandago, Ronald Ngala and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, as well as the established names Oloo Street, Uganda Road and Kenyatta Street.
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A separate digital platform is also planned
The QR codes on signs are a separate component of the initiative, distinct from the planned digital platform that the county administration is to launch. According to Busienei, the application is expected to combine navigation, information on buildings and institutions, traffic data, access to emergency assistance, e-commerce, advertising and tools for residents’ participation in city life.
The authorities also expect digital mapping to help identify real estate properties and improve the accounting of revenue and city resources. As Eldoret prepared to celebrate Mashujaa Day at Kipchoge Keino Stadium, road repairs, improvements to street lighting, building painting, landscaping and the restoration of signs intensified.
Local authorities say they plan to name new roads and expand the digital addressing system in the future. At the same time, the initiative’s effectiveness will depend on maintaining the signs, replacing damaged ones and the extent to which residents and businesses use the new names and digital tools.
