Wonders of Sergoit Hills

 By William Kiptoo In the Kerio Valley, market livestock like cattle and goats are a big deal. Along the Beretwo-Tot-Chesegon Road, there are market centers where goats are sold. Traders gather the goats and take them to bigger markets or across the Kerio River into Baringo. Cattle from areas like Koitilial, Arror, and Chesogoch are sold at the Barwessa market by the people who raise them or sometimes by traders. Buyers from Baringo, the fluorspar mines in Kimwarer, and Eldoret visit markets in the valley area south of the Beretwo - Kabarnet road. Resale markets for valley cattle can be found in places like Sergoit, Cheptongei, and KaptaIamwa. Chepkorio is a big resale market in the southern division, while Kapcherop and Chebororwa are important resale markets in Kapcherop Division. Kondabilet is the top resale market for small stock. Buyers from outside the county come to these markets to purchase livestock, which are then moved on foot to their destinations. Producers from the Ke...

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...

By William Kiptoo Yesterday, I had to pull down a post after a member challenged my claim that buildings at the St. Paul’s Mission School in the Kaptuli area of Tembelio Ward, that I had shared, did indeed belong to the Tooley family who were once settlers there. I wanted to ensure the accuracy of my information before reposting, so I went back there today to ascertain the facts. I can now ascertain that part of the buildings did indeed belong to the Tooley family, although the priest’s house is a new construction. Some of the buildings have undergone renovations and are currently maintained by the Catholic church, which also runs the Kaptuli Mission school. The house on the opposite side of the school was Tooley’s main house and is now a private property.   The Tooley Family Alfred Tooley and his family arrived in Kenya from South Africa in 1922 and first settled in Mau Summit before moving to Koru and Fort Ternan and eventually to Sergoit. Their children included Martha Catherine...

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 ...