The Tooley Family

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, James Peter, and Phyllis Polhill.
In 1966, the Tooley family died in a motor vehicle accident along the Nakuru-Eldoret highway. Following this devastating event, three of the remaining brothers sold the farm and relocated to South Africa, the UK and Canada. Dave Tooley is married to Hettie Kruger, the daughter of Ernest Kruger, while Ross Tooley resides in Newark, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
The area today known as Kaptuli in Sergoit derives its name from Tooley. Kaptuli in Kalenjin means “the home of Tooley.”

 




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