Wonders of Sergoit Hills

By William Kiptoo I just found out that Jacobus Christian Theunissen owned the farm known today as Kimumu Farm #46, Uasin Gishu. He was the Secretary and Director of the Uasin Gishu Farmers' Association (KFA) in 1927. He also served in the military during the World War 1. In 1927, he imported a variety of wheat from Colombia. The first consignment sent for milling reached Nairobi in January 1933. Because it was a wheat of poor milling quality, and therefore fetched a lower price than other varieties, Sabanero did not at first catch on to any great extent; but it did stand up to rust. Its cultivation spread. In 1957 about 20% of all wheat grown in Kenya was of the Sabanero variety. Theunissen died in 1944 and was buried in Eldoret Cemetery. Source: https://www.europeansineastafrica.co.uk/ ll re

By William Kiptoo Located approximately 24 kilometers from Eldoret town towards Iten, is the Kaptuli trading center. It is administratively situated in Tembelio Ward of Moiben sub-county. Kaptuli gained widespread attention in 2015 when it made headlines for reportedly banning bars and drinking establishments. The decision was made by the elders of the community who felt that consumers were not acting responsibly, leading to a situation where they grew tired of those who abused alcohol. It derives it name from the Tooley family, a Boer settler who owned the land around there. The family migrated to Kenya from South Africa around 1922 and settled in various places before finally making Sergoit their home. Tragically, in 1966, Mr. Tooley and his wife passed away in a motor vehicle accident on the Nakuru-Eldoret highway. Following this event, the remaining family members sold the farm and moved to different countries. The property was later purchased by members of the Keiyo community, inc...

Today, I had the chance to visit a home of Mzee Kipkat Barmao Chepkurui (Kimurei) in Kaplogoi to learn more about the settler who once lived there. The 90-year-old Mzee Kipkat owns the house that is surrounded by a century old fruit trees. He may be old but still has a sharp memory. When I asked him about the settler who lived in that house, he mentioned the name Prinsloo. After a quick Google search, I found out that Koos Prinsloo Senior (1885-1950) was one of the early settlers of the Van Rensburg trek. They were a group of 47 families who traveled from South Africa and arrived in Uasin Gishu in 1908. The land they found was fertile and full of game. Prinsloo was known as a hunter who made his fortune by hunting game. When he first arrived in Uasin Gishu, he was scared of the dangerous animals and would even mistake warthogs for lions. He described the beauty of the land and the abundance of wildlife he encountered in his memoirs as follows:. “I was amazed by all the game grazing on ...