Voi

Voi is a large town in the Southern Rift Valley region of Kenya.

History
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. Before colonization, the village served as trading center for the local Taita people and 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 was not granted until 1932.

Economy
Voi is a marketplace for the agricultural and meat products from the fertile Taita Hills as well as other surrounding areas.

Language
The most common language used is Swahili, but majority of the locals know English and to a lesser extent French, German, and Italian.

By train
Voi is served by the SGR mainline between Nairobi and Mombasa. Kenya Railways operates several trains per day in each direction.



By plane
Voi is served by the Ikanga Air Strip.

By car
Great pit stop along the highway between Nairobi and Mombasa.

By taxi
Taxis can be found in the town center. Fares are negotiated, not regulated.

See

 * Tsavo East National Park
 * Tsavo West National Park

Go next

 * Taveta
 * Arusha
 * Mombasa
 * Nairobi