Voi is the largest town in Taita-Taveta County in southern Kenya, in the former Coast Province. It lies at the western edge of the Taru Desert, south and west of the Tsavo East National Park. The Sagala Hills are to the south. Economy Voi is a marketplace for agricultural and meat products from the fertile Taita Hills as well as the surrounding areas. Voi's town centre consists mostly of general stores, shops, markets, kiosks and hotels. Most lodges that service tourists for the national parks are located in the suburbs at the edge of town. The Voi Sisal Estates are located to the west of the town. Hotels in the area include Andymac Palace, Panlis Resort, Augustine George Resort, Impala Hotel, Vacani Resort, Ndololo Camp, Voi Safari Lodge, Voi Wildlife Lodge, Joy Hotel, Afrika Lodges, and Leopards Lodge. Nearby restaurants include Asenali, Homeboys, Bakri, Distarr Hotel, Swahili Dishes, Fine breeze, Petro and Caltex. Supermarkets such as Bafagih being a first class supermarket Jai Hari, Shake Distributors, New Generation, and Anand can also be found in Voi. History Voi existed even before the arrival of the Portuguese, Arabs and other visitors at the Kenyan Coast [disputed ... see talk section. Also, the "Kenya Coast" did not conceptually exist prior to 1920 and at the time of Voi's origin much of the "Kenya Coast" (BEA Protectorate) was on 'loan' from Zanzibar]. However, some citations have it that 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 with an area of about was not granted until 1932. The town has long since outgrown the original grant. Climate Voi has a hot semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh). Transport Train Voi has two railway stations. The first and oldest station, lies on the Kenya-Uganda Railway which was built by the British between 1895 and 1901 linking the port of Mombasa with Uganda. This station also forms the junction between the main line and a smaller, now abandoned line to Taveta at the Tanzania border. The second, newer, railway station serves the Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway. The passenger train on the newer railway line has a daily stopover in Voi at 9:50am and 12:08pm. Passenger services on the old, British-built railway ceased in May 2017 though limited cargo