Cities and towns will be rebranded to make them more attractive to investors once county governments are place.

The Brand Kenya Board in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government is working on a re-branding strategy through the Kenya Local Government Reform Programme.

The board has been collecting information on how the rebranding should be carried out.

"Many towns and cities in Kenya have untapped potential and are riddled with many problems which hinders them from becoming as attractive as they should be," said Ruth Chitwa communications officer at Brand Kenya Board.

Chitwa said the new constitution gives counties an opportunity to drive their local economy by attracting investments, infrastructure development and creating wealth.

She said in a statement that the rebranding programme will help the local authorities on how they can brand their towns and position them as hubs of investment in anticipation of the county government..

One of the stakeholders meeting to discus the matter is going on in Eldoret where officials from the civic bodies in the region are discussing the strategy.

Those attending the forum include from Turkana, West Pokot, Trans Nzoia, Elgeyo Marakwet, Baringo, Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Kericho, Bomet, Nyamira, Kisii, Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya, Busia, Vihiga and Bungoma Counties.

The first such meeting was held in Embu town last September covering local authorities from counties in central and parts of north eastern region.

Eldoret Mayor William Rono said they would work closely with other stakeholders and investors to re-brand Eldoret. The council plans to tap in athletes to help in the re-branding activities and strategies.

"Eldoret is home to most of the greatest athletes in the world and we plan to use them to market our town outside the country",said Rono.

He said the re-branding would help the town and counties around it to attract more investors especially in the tourism sector. Under the plan cities and towns will be asked to phase out slums and old buildings located in the midst or strategic areas of the towns.

Other buildings will be repainted and streets cleaned up apart from other plans to improve on environments in the cities and the towns. The civic bodies will have to deal with problem of dumping of waste in most areas.

PR & Communication.