Voi

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.

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

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

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

• 🌍 Voi railway station. (updated May 2023)

Voi is served by the Ikanga Air Strip.

Great pit stop along the highway between Nairobi and Mombasa.

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