Wonders of Sergoit Hills

A summary of a newspaper article shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group by Hillary Kipruto under the title "Boers in Kenya". The article was first published by the Mail & Guardian of South Africa on 6 April 2004 as "A bittereinder in Kenya". Because it is a published newspaper article, it is summarised here rather than reproduced, and the full text can be read at the link at the end. The article set out to find what was left of the Afrikaner presence in Eldoret, the town the trekkers had once seen as the centre of their promised land. It recalled an Eldoret of the 1930s that could have been any small South African dorp, with jukskei played in the streets, koeksisters and melktert baked at home and braais under the acacia trees. By 2004, the writer found, only one family of Afrikaner descent remained in Uasin Gishu: the Krugers of Sergoit Farm, along the Kerio Valley Road. Local memory of the Boers still ran deep. Sarah Kurui, speaking inside the...

By Hillary Kosgey Arap Masut First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 15 February 2026. The photograph before me is captioned “Home of Colonel George Cruickshank Griffiths.” It shows a solid settler farmhouse built of brick and timber, standing on a stone foundation against a gentle hillside. Two European figures pose in front of the house, and a motor vehicle from the 1930s rests nearby. The landscape suggests the cool highlands of the Rift Valley, most likely within the Uasin Gishu region. Colonel George Cruickshank Griffiths was a prominent settler farmer and public figure in colonial Kenya. He was closely associated with agricultural development in the Rift Valley and owned a farm known as Aotea Roa in the Kipkarren area of Uasin Gishu. As a leading member of the farming community and a representative in colonial structures, his home would have stood on titled settler land, likely in a rural and elevated setting outside the main town. The architectural sty...

By Hillary Kosgey Arap Masut First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 8 October 2025. In the early colonial Kalenjin White Highlands, many children of mixed colour were born as Europeans and Asians settled in the region. Most of the colonial settlers were men without their families, and relationships with local women became common. Some of these unions were consensual, while others happened through power and economic imbalance. Labour camps, military posts, and railway work brought Africans, Indians, and Europeans together, creating new social contact and mixed communities. For some African women, these relationships offered security or favour during harsh times, and at times local chiefs encouraged them as a sign of alliance. Many colonial officers and missionaries kept African housekeepers who later bore their children, though few of these relationships were officially recognised. As colonial racial laws became stricter, mixed-race children were often hidden ...

Shared by Henry Kibiwott Chebii in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group. David O’Shea’s shop, which now houses the Samsung Shop on Kenyatta Street in Eldoret, has an intriguing history. O’Shea himself was a long-term resident of Eldoret and held the position of Chairman at the Eldoret Sports Club during the 1950s. However, it’s his daughter, Dorothy O’Shea Hughes, who left a lasting architectural legacy. Dorothy, an accomplished architect, played a pivotal role in shaping early Kenyan infrastructure. She designed several notable buildings, including the European Hospitals in Nairobi and Mombasa, the Pumwani Maternity Hospital, and Lady Grigg Hospital in Mombasa. Additionally, she contributed to the iconic Holy Family Basilica in Nairobi. One of her most significant projects was the design of St. Mary’s School in Nairobi, a renowned educational institution. Interestingly, Dorothy’s connection to the school extends beyond her architectural work, as she is buried on the school g...

Shared by Henry Kibiwott Chebii in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group. Hill School in Eldoret has an interesting history. Originally, it served the white population of western Kenya and Uganda. Many families would travel by train to bring their children to this school in the highlands for a good education. In the early days, most settlers in Eldoret were Afrikaners, who were white settlers from South Africa. They wanted their children to be taught in Afrikaans, their native language, instead of English. So, they started a school called the Central School of Eldoret at the site where Hill School stands today. However, the British administration did not agree with this. They wanted English to be the language of instruction in schools. This disagreement led to the establishment of Hill School in 1944. The new school aimed to provide education in English. In 1956, Hill School and the Afrikaner school merged, creating a single institution. After Kenya gained independence in 196...

By Henry Kibiwott Chebii I grew up in Sergoit when a man we called Kihara used to farm at El Farm. Kihara was just our slang for someone bald-headed. Others nicknamed him Kiplenja, and the farm itself was known as Kapmeliel. But behind those names stood a powerful figure, Nicholas Biwott, the minister many called Karnet or Total Man. To us kids, his power was something to marvel at. Imagine a man so influential that he even hired a mzungu to manage his farm. That mzungu was JJ Du Toit. We didn’t care much about his real name back then; we just knew him by the nicknames. We often sneaked our cows into the farm to graze. It was illegal, but we were daring. The land was vast, and it wasn’t easy for them to catch us. Still, the sight of the green Land Cruiser meant trouble. That car was a beast, and JJ Du Toit drove it like a hunter chasing us off the fields. We had our tricks though, spotting the car from a distance and rushing to chase our cows away before it reached us. My father on...

By Henry Kibiwott Chebii Many of us began our childhood in what was simply called kambi at Kruger’s farm. There were three such camps. One stood where Chepngochoch School is today, now used as teachers’ quarters though the houses are old and worn out. Another was near Soin, close to where Jamii Milling Plant stands today, not far from the home of former Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor Eng. Barorot. The third camp was right inside Kruger farm itself. Living in these houses came with more than just shelter. Each family was given a small piece of land, usually half an acre to an acre, where they could grow maize and beans. The farm itself was tilled by the mzungu, so even if you were not hardworking, you would not go hungry. The Krugers had a way of rewarding their workers. During harvest season, maize was delivered to every homestead using their green Leyland lorry. Depending on your rank at work, you could receive as many as eight bags. Christmas was another season of generosity. Familie...

Shared by Henry Kibiwott Chebii in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group. Broederstroom School was at Plateau. These schools were built by Afrikaner settlers who had moved to Kenya and wanted their children to receive a proper education. At the center of this effort was Dominee Loubser, a church leader with a clear vision. He believed that education should be guided by faith and rooted in the values of the Afrikaner community. He wanted children to learn not only reading and writing but also their language, Afrikaans, and their spiritual beliefs. Broederstroom School was one of the first schools to be established. In the beginning, it shared space with a church known as the Bamboo Church. This simple building served both spiritual and educational needs. As more families settled in the area and the number of students grew, the need for more space became clear. A boarding house was built to help children who lived far away attend school. For many parents, this was a great relief...

Short summaries of newspaper articles shared by William Kiptoo in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group. The full articles belong to their publishers; look them up for the complete text. "Exit White Man" (East African Standard, 1977) Reported that Britain had made a final payment in its buy out of settler farmers, bringing the total spent since independence to about R60 million, mostly in grants. Farms were transferred to the Kenya Government for sale to Kenyans and cooperatives. Settlers of South African origin with British passports were the last to be offered terms; by then only three South African farmers were still farming, two at Eldoret and one at Kitale, all of them Kenyan citizens. One was Ernest Kruger, born in an ox wagon on the trek. The article noted that the Uasin Gishu plateau had been renamed Wareng, that some large farms had been broken into subsistence holdings by cooperatives against government policy, and that 2,600 British farmers had held about t...

Shared by William Kiptoo. A summary of a chapter from Isaac Tarus's study, The Keiyo of Kenya During the Early Colonial Period, 1902 to 1939. The traditions it draws on are oral. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 27 October 2021. The Keiyo, Tarus writes, are among the smallest Kalenjin communities and historically the least known. The earliest inhabitants of the Keiyo country are remembered as the Kapchegrot and Kimnegei, followed by the Kurut, and other early peoples included the Terngeny, the Okiek and the Sirikwa. Out of the meeting of the arriving Keiyo clans with these peoples, a distinct Keiyo society took shape. The Clans The Keiyo are divided into sixteen patrilineal clans: Talai, Terik, Tungo, Toiyoi, Targok, Kimoi, Kong'ato, Kabon, Kabilo, Soti, Saniak, Siokwei, Sokome, Kure, Mokio and Mokich. Most acted independently, though the Tungo and Kobil formed alliances. Tradition places the clans at Tulwop Kony (Mount Elgon), from where popul...

Compiled by Kipkemoi Araap Korir (Barmoiben) of Mombilen, from extracts of Gerrit Groen's PhD dissertation, The Afrikaners in Kenya, 1903 to 1969 (1974). Summarised here; Groen's own words are quoted only where marked. Throughout Uasin Gishu and beyond are scattered Afrikaner settlements and houses, and names like Kapshad, Kapseet, Kapsimit and Kapkruger abound. The most visible Afrikaner legacies are the Wagon Wheel Hotel, Kruger Farm and the Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA). There is also a story about the Standard Chartered Bank in Eldoret: that it was built around a heavy safe full of cash, brought from South Africa by the Boers. At Farm 64, the story goes, the safe fell off the wagon and the few Boers present could not lift it back, so they built a bank around it, a branch of the Standard Bank of South Africa, which at first refused to open in a mud house but later gave in. The Zionist Detour The Uganda Railway, completed to Lake Victoria in 1901, was expensive, an...

By William Kiptoo First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 26 July 2025. "I grew up in Eldoret… at Muli Children's Home." That is what a Nairobi Uber driver told me recently, and in one sentence he reminded me of Eldoret's quiet legacy of compassion. Back in the day, Eldoret was not just about athletics. It was a lifeline for children with nowhere else to go. Homes such as Muli, Testimony Homes, Jesus is Lord Ministry and Bindura gave children food, shelter, music and education. The Story Behind Muli The home my driver spoke of is better known today as Mully Children's Family (MCF). Its founder, Charles Mulli (also written Mully), was born in 1949 at Kathithyamaa village in Kangundo, Machakos. Abandoned by his family as a small boy, he begged in the streets before walking to Nairobi in search of work. In 1970 he bought his first vehicle and started a public transport service between Eldoret and Nyaru, the beginning of the Mullyways busi...

By William Kiptoo. Legends from oral tradition. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 31 January 2025. A few kilometres past Timboroa on the way to Eldoret, just after the Meteitei junction, lies a small water body wrapped in myths and legends: Lake Narusha, also known as Timboroa Dam (Timborowoon). The Place Timboroa sits close to the border of Baringo and Uasin Gishu counties, on the edge of the plateau where the road from Nakuru and Eldama Ravine climbs onto the Uasin Gishu. At about 2,900 metres above sea level, it is the highest inhabited point of the Kenyan highlands and one of the coldest places in the country. Between June and August thick fog often covers the area, and travellers on the highway know the stretch for its mist and its sudden cold. The town lies near the Equator, and on its edge begins the Timboroa Forest, a dense bamboo forest that runs on into the Tinderet Forest. For the early trekkers, this was the gateway to the plateau. The adva...

Shared by William Kiptoo. A Nandi folk tale from Lelmokwo, narrated by Tapsiarga Cheruiyot (about 62 years old) and recorded in Ciarunji Chesaina's Oral Literature of the Kalenjin. Retold here in brief. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 6 February 2024. Long ago, twelve girls went to the river to wash clothes and bathe. When the washing was done they plunged in to swim, and felt the water tremble. A huge ogre with a big belly swam towards them. The girls tried to escape, but the ogre caught them all and swallowed them as they screamed for help. A hunter nearby heard the cries and came to see. The ogre swallowed him too, spear and all. Inside the ogre's stomach, the hunter thought hard and decided to cut his way out. He told the girls to sing while he worked, and as they sang he pierced the ogre's belly again and again with his spear. Feeling the pain, the ogre ran to a far off land where nobody lived, and there, his strength gone, he lay dow...

By William Kiptoo First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 5 June 2023. The Sikh Gurdwara in Eldoret is an important religious site for the Sikh community in the region. The history of this Gurdwara dates back to the early 20th century, when the Sikh community began to settle in Eldoret. The first Gurdwara was established in a rented room, but as the community grew in size, they felt the need for a permanent religious site. In 1946, the community bought a piece of land along Arap Moi Street and built a new Gurdwara, which still stands today. The Sikh community in Eldoret faced many challenges in the early years, including discrimination and racism from the colonial authorities, who viewed them as second class citizens despite their contributions to the economy. Despite these difficulties, the community remained committed to their faith and worked hard to preserve their cultural identity. The Gurdwara became the centre of their social and religious life and pro...

By Benson Cheserek. Forwarded to The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group and shared there by William Kiptoo. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 21 August 2026. Kapsowar township is the headquarters of Marakwet Sub County, or Marakwet West. Marakwet District came about as a result of the split of Keiyo-Marakwet District. Iten remained the headquarters of Keiyo District, while Kapsowar became the headquarters of the new district. The name Kap-so-war is borrowed from a place with sawareet (soworwoo). Back in the day, Cheles and Kapswahili (Kambi Swahili) were heavily wooded areas with many soworwoo trees. It is from this name, soworwoo or sawareet, that the name K-a-p-s-o-w-a-r was coined. The current location of Kapsowar Boys was originally the main residence of the forester who protected the forest. How did the name Kapswahili come to be? I am following the responses in the comments section. I have the answer from a reliable historian. What is your...

By William Kiptoo, gathered from members of The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 4 March 2025. Many members have been curious about the meaning and origin of the name Moiben, and the explanations they have offered are fascinating. Some say Moiben comes from three local words, moeben, matieben and makiebeni, used by early people crossing the river; moeben is said to have meant "do not sway." Others trace it to the Maasai language, linking it to names like Moipen and Moipei, since the Maasai once lived in the area. Another claim gives it European roots: that it comes from Moore Ben, son of Moore and brother of Terra, hence the place names Kabomoi, Moiben and Kapterra. And the most amusing explanation: a mzungu supposedly dropped his pen in the river and cried out, "Oh, my pen!" and Moiben was born. No one explanation has been settled. See also other Moiben stories .

By William Kiptoo. Parts of this history come from oral tradition. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 1 September 2023. The Sirikwa Tribe and the Maasai Before the colonialists came, the Uasin Gishu plateau was home to a group of people called the Sirikwa. They were closely related to the Wakwafi. They occupied the plains (soi) of what is now part of Trans Nzoia, Lugari and Uasin Gishu. Sirikwa had his first son named Chepkoilel. The plains have since been referred to as Kapchepkoilel. Their settlement sites were known as Sirikwa holes, or hollows, which were saucer shaped hollows that have been found in various areas in Uasin Gishu. These hollows were usually found in groups, sometimes numbering less than ten and at times more than a hundred, and were deliberately constructed to house livestock. These hollows were surrounded by a fence or stockade and, on the downhill side, a single gate, usually with extra works and flanking guard houses. In rocky ter...

By William Kiptoo First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 23 December 2023. Trans Nzoia was an important area that European settlers occupied after the First World War. It was originally part of Uganda's Eastern Province but was transferred to Kenya in 1902. However, it did not become an official administrative unit until 1906, when it became a district within Naivasha Province. In 1919, it was made an administrative district under the Uasin Gishu District Commissioner. Elgeyo and Marakwet were later included as subdistricts of Uasin Gishu. In 1921, Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu became extra provincial districts. At the same time, the Elgeyo and Marakwet subdistricts were transferred to the Suk-Kamasia reserve. Then, in 1929, Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu were integrated into the newly created Nzoia Province. However, in 1934, Nzoia Province was absorbed into Rift Valley Province. The administration of the Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu sectors within the Rift Va...

Shared by William Kiptoo. Author anonymous. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 23 September 2023. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Uasin Gishu and Trans Nzoia were very nearly made into a foretaste of the Promised Land. Joseph Chamberlain had long been sympathetic to the Zionist movement, and after a severe pogrom in Russia he proposed that the Jews find a temporary home while they waited to return to Palestine. As Colonial Secretary he toured East Africa and was struck by the emptiness of the land, its fertility and healthy climate. Here, he thought, was an ideal "antechamber to the Holy Land." The settlers already in the Protectorate, still waiting for their title deeds, received the idea with alarm. The Jews themselves were divided and not especially keen, but they agreed to send a three man commission to the Uasin Gishu, as suggested by Sir Charles Eliot, then Commissioner of the Protectorate. The three inspectors arrived in 1...

Shared by William Kiptoo, adapted from an academic study of settlers and squatter labour in the Kenya highlands. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 19 October 2022. The first settlers on the Uasin Gishu were Afrikaners. Many trekkers came from South Africa in 1907 and 1908, led by wealthy stock farmers with cattle and sheep. Despite cross breeding with local stock and constant dipping and dosing, their 70,000 sheep fell to a mere 5,000 within five years, and of all the imported cattle only "a very small herd of Africander cattle" was left by 1919. With stock disease rampant, the Boers turned to wheat. That came naturally to the van Rensburg trekkers of 1908, Transvalers who had grown wheat at Ermelo and left soon after the Swaziland partition, which had cost them winter grazing and raised fears that their Swazi labourers would leave for the new reserves. The Uasin Gishu suited them well: far from the seat of government, perfect for wheat, and cl...

Two stories told by Sonnie Valerie Cloete of Concordia Farm, Koitoror. Shared by William Kiptoo. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 19 September 2023. "In the early days whisky was only Kshs 4/50 a bottle," Cloete remembered, and many people took advantage of it. One old man fell off his horse on his way home. Very early the next morning his horse was seen near a friend's house, and the farmer, who knew the old man well, reckoned he could not be far off. A short distance from the house they found him fast asleep beside an anthill. Asked whether he was not afraid of being eaten by a lion, he replied that a lion would not eat a drunken Christian. The second story is about land grants. When the first settlers arrived in Uasin Gishu, each had to show Rs 500 in cash, or stock and wagons to that value. Soon after they had taken up their farms, a Land Officer was sent from Nairobi to check their means. At the first farm several farmers were waiting...

Shared by William Kiptoo. Summarised from Joseph Nabwera's study, European Settlers in Trans Nzoia. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 25 October 2023. After the First World War, most of the successful overseas applicants for land in Kenya were former soldiers. In November 1919, 1,500 new settlers came ashore at Mombasa from the chartered ship Garth Castle, opening a new phase of European settlement in the highlands. A sizeable number applied for and were allotted land in Trans Nzoia. Arthur Champion became the first District Commissioner of Trans Nzoia on 8 October 1920. He first camped on farm 2197 near the southern edge of Kitale township, and on 15 December moved to farm 1802 near the Nzoia River, on land rented from A.C. Hoey. Temporary offices, housing and a prison were built there, and the place became known as the Old Boma. Captain Pharazyn, one of the soldier settlers, arrived at Mombasa in January 1920. He and his wife took the railway to L...

By William Kiptoo First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 30 August 2025. On 15 August 1904 the Anglo-Maasai Agreement was signed in Nairobi. It changed the destiny of the Maasai, who were moved with their flocks and herds into designated reserves, away from the railway line and the rich highlands being taken over by settlers. The Maasai were represented by Lenana, son of Mbatiany, Laibon of all the Maasai, and Maskonde, son of Airiu, Laibon of Naivasha, with officers of the East Africa Protectorate administration around them. The agreement marked the beginning of a long struggle over land, identity and survival for the Maasai. For Uasin Gishu, the name itself recalls the Uasin Gishu Maasai who once grazed the plateau.

By William Kiptoo First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 9 October 2025. Rimoi National Reserve is located on the western side of the Kerio River in Elgeyo Marakwet County. It was officially gazetted in 1983 as a response to rampant poaching and increasing human-wildlife conflict. Its demarcation was intended to establish clear boundaries for wildlife protection, tourism development and ecological sustainability. The reserve spans approximately 66 square kilometres and is bordered naturally by the Kerio River and the Elgeyo Escarpment, which help define its perimeter. The demarcation process has involved both physical fencing and administrative zoning. These efforts aim to reduce encroachment, protect biodiversity, and create a buffer between wildlife habitats and human settlements. The reserve is home to one of the largest elephant herds in East and Central Africa, along with other species such as leopards, giraffes, impalas, zebras and a rich variety of bir...

By William Kiptoo First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 15 September 2023. Have you ever wondered how places get their names? Well, there is a farm in Sergoit called Saamtrek, and its name is quite puzzling. It is in the Marura area, or Chemaluk to be precise. The locals used to call it Kapnyaruru, in reference to the Mzungu who owned the land. Apparently, in Afrikaans, the language spoken in South Africa, "saamtrek" means coming together. But why is this farm called Saamtrek? A gathering place? One theory suggests that the name Saamtrek might have something to do with the Boer families in Uasin Gishu, who were known not only for their farming skills but also for their close knit communities. It is possible that these families used to meet at Saamtrek farm, making it a gathering place for them. Chemaluk, a Land of Togetherness and Unending Abundance? The idea that Saamtrek farm was a place where the Boer families came together to meet and share ...

Compiled by William Kiptoo, with additions from members of The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group welcome. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 27 September 2024. Langas : from a Maasai family name, Ole Lankas. Ol-Tebes : a Maasai word for the acacia tree. Kapseret : the Kalenjin word for couch grass. Kipkaren : "a place of weapons," believed to come from a time when the Nandi and Maasai buried their weapons after a fierce battle as a sign of truce. Munyaka : Kikuyu for luck. The first residents were displaced Kikuyu forest squatters from the Musekekwa and Sabor forests in Elgeyo Marakwet. Pioneer : named after the Boer pioneers who settled in Eldoret in the early colonial period. Huruma : borrowed from Huruma Estate in Nairobi, after migrants from the capital. Kamukunji : also borrowed from Nairobi's Kamukunji, and first settled by railway workers. Roadblock : after a roadblock that once stood there (often misspelt "Rood Bloc...

By William Kiptoo First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 28 July 2025. Elijah Kipkosgei Sumbeiywo rose from humble beginnings in Kenya's national police to become President Daniel arap Moi's first Presidential Escort Commander. His disciplined approach to security and unwavering loyalty defined a pivotal era in Kenya's post independence history. Early Life and Entry into Security Services Elijah Sumbeiywo joined the Kenya Police as a constable in 1961 and quickly demonstrated exceptional discipline and leadership. By 1966, he had risen to the rank of Assistant Inspector, and in 1972 he attended the Superintendent's course at Kiganjo Police Training College, laying the groundwork for his future roles in elite security units. In 1978, amid uncertainty over President Jomo Kenyatta's succession, Sumbeiywo was selected to head the newly created Presidential Escort Unit. He assembled a trusted team, drawing on training protocols, including adv...

By William Kiptoo First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 6 October 2025. Justice Philip Kiptoo Tunoi's journey from Elgeyo Marakwet to the Supreme Court embodies Kenya's perseverance and service, proving greatness can arise from humble beginnings. From the Hills to the Halls of Justice In the quiet valleys of Elgeyo Marakwet, long before courtrooms and law books entered his life, a young boy named Philip Kiptoo Tunoi was learning the values that would define him: honesty, fairness, and a deep respect for truth. Born on 2 June 1944, he grew up in a community where life revolved around farming, livestock and kinship. It was a place where fairness was not a concept from books but a principle lived daily. At Tambach Government School, his teachers quickly noticed a bright, curious mind. That spark carried him to St Patrick's High School, Iten, a school famous for discipline and excellence. It was there, among teachers and mentors who demanded both ...

By W.K. Oriop Kirai, Olokurto, Narok. Shared by William Kiptoo in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group. This is an oral legend, and the meanings given for the names are folk explanations. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 23 September 2024. New historical findings have shown that the Kalenjin broke up into the present 61 dialects when they were still in Uganda, in a place called Kapchorwa District. An old man I talked to has his own legend, which holds some water. The legend has it that somewhere near Mt Koilegen (Elgon) there lived an old man called Loleiyo, who had several wives. When he died of old age, his sons began to scatter to different places. His eldest son, who became the ancestor of the Nandi, was someone who was rude and stubborn. He inherited his father's wives, as was the custom. Nandi means one who inherits and is derived from the verb ndi, that is, inherit. His second brother, who became the founder of the Kipsigis people, is...

By William Kiptoo, as told to him by a Mzee from his neighbourhood. An oral account. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 29 October 2023. Here is another story that I was told by a Mzee from my neighbourhood. It is the story behind the word "pandiat," or maize, in Kalenjin. During the early days of settlement on the Uasin Gishu Plateau, farming was quite different from what we know today. Instead of using machines, people used oxen to plough the land and planted crops by hand. The two main crops that the early settlers grew were maize and wheat. When it came to planting wheat, the settlers would spread the seeds by hand using an old buckskin apron. It was a slow and careful process to make sure the seeds were evenly distributed. On the other hand, maize was planted by hand with a specific spacing of one yard between each plant. The first type of maize that was grown on the plateau was a red variety called Cheboros in the local Kalenjin language...

By William Kiptoo First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 27 October 2023. In 1905 the Uasin Gishu Plateau was closed to new settler applications while land was surveyed. This letter, from the East Africa Protectorate correspondence of November 1905 (file No. 42493), recommends that it stay closed until the whole area had been surveyed and divided into farms of 5,000 acres, "to avoid a rush similar to that in case of Rift Valley." It reads in part: November 1, 1905. Sir, In reference to your telegram of October 9th 1905, instructing me to entertain no applications for grants of land on the Uasin Gishu Plateau… negotiations with Mr. Goldman for… Eldama… I have the honour to state that as this portion of the Protectorate has again been closed for the settlers owing to the trouble in Nandi (via my telegram No. 188), it would in my opinion not be wise to reopen it until the whole area has been surveyed and divided up into farms of five thousand acres sim...

Shared by William Kiptoo for those who have been looking for the origin of the name Kambi Simba in Karuna/Meibeki, Moiben. From "Notes on the Old Days in Eldoret" by Mrs Dorothy Hughes, née Ullmann, from the scrapbook of Les Tucker, printed in the Habari 2002 newsletter of the Friends of East Africa. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 24 July 2025. John Willie Hosking, a former Provincial Commissioner, spoke of his house at Moiben as "Kampi ya Simba," the lion camp. In the early days he saw pugmarks in the cement of a building under construction. Later he shot a lion at one corner of the building. He looked round, saw another in a different place and shot again, then shot at yet another. He did this seven times, and in the morning he found seven dead lions. His wife, very Irish and fey, believed in the "little people." She said Moiben had a haunted house, and felt her hair rise whenever she stood in a certain place. Her scept...

By Kiprop Kimutai, an excerpt from True Stories from Iten. Shared by William Kiptoo. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 3 November 2023. My mum went to Iten yesterday and met a teacher from Kessup Girls. The teacher told her he had seen her somewhere and asked whether she had ever taught at Kessup. My mum said no, and added that she had studied at Kessup Primary School in the 1950s. As they talked, the teacher mentioned a renowned man of Kessup in those days, a man called Kipkigey, who persuaded his clan to donate land for the secondary school. My mum smiled, because Kipkigey was her grandfather, the husband of Kabon, my great grandmother, whom I often speak of fondly. His real name was Chebii arap Ayobei, and this is how he came to be called Kipkigey. Just after the First World War, the colonial government pushed the people of Elgeyo Marakwet to grow bananas. Officials considered the Keiyo lazy and in the habit of running away from manual work, and with ...

Shared by William Kiptoo, adapted from an encyclopedia entry on the Kalenjin (Countries and Their Cultures). From the 1940s, young men from the Kalenjin speaking groups who went off to fight in the Second World War began using the term kale or kole, the scarring of the breast or arm of a warrior who had killed an enemy in battle, to describe themselves. During wartime radio broadcasts, the announcer John Chemallan used the phrase kalenjok, "I tell you" (plural). Later, students from these groups at Alliance High School formed a "Kalenjin" club. There were only fourteen of them, a small minority in a school in Gikuyu country, and they wanted an outward sign of a shared identity. Those students went on to become the Kalenjin elite. The identity was consolidated with the founding of the Kalenjin Union in Eldoret in 1948, and a monthly magazine, Kalenjin, in the 1950s. The movement was not only a people finding a name for themselves. According to this account, the col...

By William Kiptoo First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 24 September 2023. In 1928 the Railways installed a piped water supply from the Sosiani River, about eight miles away. It was later taken over by the new Municipal Board. The first rates were collected, and the first budget, helped by a government grant of £3,000, allowed some improvements to the town. In 1933 the Electric Light and Power Company put in an electricity plant, and the main streets could be lit for the first time. Soon after, Eldoret Wattle Estates Limited came into production and supplied the railway with wood fuel for its steam engines right up to 1960. The Eldoret Town Hall was built in 1956, and in January 1958 the town was raised to Municipal Council status. It then had its first mayor, and in November 1958 the Governor presented the town with its Charter and Mace. African members had sat on the Board since 1947, and Eldoret was one of the first towns in Kenya to elect an African ma...

By William Kiptoo. Photographs courtesy of Howard Smith and his family. These photographs show farming at Miniota Farm in Ainabkoi, East Uasin Gishu, in the 1950s and 60s. The land is now Kapngetuny High School, also known as Kapsimit, from "Kap Smith." Mr Allison Smith and Mrs Milicent Smith owned the land from the 1930s. After the Second World War their son, Mr Peter Smith, took over its management and ran it until 1960/61, when the Ainabkoi Settlement Scheme was established and the land was transferred to the Settlement Trust Fund (STF). Peter Smith was instrumental in setting up the scheme, and he later served in a similar role at the Ahero Settlement Scheme. The photographs show the farm's mechanisation and the introduction of cattle dips to fight tick borne disease. Take note of the historic John Deere tractors with roller wheels. The collection was shared by my friend Mr Howard Smith, the grandson, who now lives in Canada. He was pleased to learn of my interest...

An excerpt from Early Days in East Africa by L.S. van Aardt, shared by William Kiptoo in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group "for lovers of history." Full text of the excerpt as shared. It is a settler's memoir and reflects the attitudes of its time. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 4 April 2022. Eldoret, or "Sixty Four," was built on a slope. Main Street was wide enough for a wagon with a team of sixteen oxen to turn. Only Europeans owned shops on Main Street, which was flanked by sanitary lanes housing bucket latrines. Indian labourers, nicknamed churas or frogs by the Lumbwa (Kalenjin), emptied the buckets at night. Some Indians owned shops adjoining Main Street, with the remaining shopkeepers on the road out to Soy, known as the Indian Bazaar. Further along was the Native Location. The shops in Main Street included a general dealer's establishment owned by Captain J. Macnab Mundell, who boasted he could get you an...