On March 18, the Daily Nation published a bleak headline: “Elburgon: From timber hub to crime hotbed.” It painted a picture that has become all too familiar in Kenya—once-thriving towns and villages sinking into the mire of crime and violence.
For decades, Elburgon, tucked away in Nakuru County, prospered as a bustling timber town. Alongside neighbours like Molo, Makutano, and Maji Mazuri, it thrived in the 1990s, fuelled by a booming timber trade. Surrounded by fertile farmland, it served as one of Nakuru’s vital breadbaskets.
