Wonders of Sergoit Hills

(Adopted from The Standard, Jan, 26, 2022) Eldoret town in Uasin Gishu is a rapidly growing urban center with a population of nearly half a million according to the 2019 national census. It is the sixth most populated town in Kenya after Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Ruiru. Eldoret is known for having some of the oldest estates, established as people migrated to urban areas in search of jobs starting in the 1960s. These estates have unique names based on the social status and race of the residents. Some estates existed even before independence, with Africans living in estates like Kidiwa, Macharia, Kilimani, Majengo, and Kapsuswo near the Kipchoge Keino Stadium. Somalis lived in Kampi Somali, Indians in Eldoret West, and whites in Elgon View and Kapsoya estates. Elgon View estate was associated with affluent individuals such as politicians, athletes, civil servants, and businessmen. The estate was home to whites, government officials, and colonial administrators. After independ...

By William Kiptoo Kihuga Square in Eldoret West is a historic landmark, standing as one of the oldest buildings in Eldoret town. Dated 1959, this place was a bustling business hub that was synonymous with Eldoret itself, especially in the 1980's and 1990's. The story of Kihuga Square traces back to the Gathitu family, who hailed from Nyagathanga hill in Muranga during the tumultuous Mau Mau war against British colonial rule. Nyagathanga Hill holds significance in Gikuyu folklore as the supposed residence of the Gikuyu god, Gikuyu, and his wife Mumbi. It was from this hill that their nine daughters dispersed to populate the Gikuyu world. Fleeing persecution from the British, the Gathitu family, led by their mother, sought refuge in the Rift Valley. They settled in various towns and areas such as Nyahururu, Nakuru, Timboroa, Uasin Gishu, Turbo, Maituma, and Sango. In Eldoret, they initially lived together in a village-like community in Majengo, alongside other migrant families. T...

By Henry Kibiwot Chebii What comes to your mind when you hear the name Rock farm? My mind will think of a place full of rocks.Yes;A farm with relative abundance of rocks. If you have ever been to Rock farm you can as well agree it is actually full of rocks Rock Farm as it is called today refers to the farm that surround's Sergoit Rock(Tulwop Sirgoek) The vast farm that borders Sergoit Hills to the West belonged to an Afrikaner Hendrick Petrus Van Heerden who was a member of Van Rensburg trek. After arriving in Uasin Gishu in the year 1909 he took over farm 17 which was initially 3,276 acres and transformed it from thick bush into grazing and agricultural land. Van Heerden was married to Freda Christina Keese and were blessed with children; Van Heerden Theodorus and Louis Felix.He died in July 1954 and was buried in Eldoret European Cemetery His son Van Heerden Theodorus took over the ownership of the farm until the year 1967 when he sold the farm, machineries and cattle on a will...

  By Henry Kibiwot Chebii Chemanywes Farm, also known as the Sergoit Rock Farm, is a sprawling 3,000+-acre land situated in Sergoit, Moiben sub-county, Uasin Gishu. The farm originally belonged to a settler named Henri Van Heerden.  Local lore tells of the farm being acquired by residents of Chepkorio, who, in the 1960s, purchased the land under a collective scheme that also included the Manyatta land in Moiben. Initially comprising 13 families, each holding a 22-acre stake, the farm remained undivided until 1992. The first settler on the farm was a man named Chemanywes, a member of the Korieta family, who eventually relocated to Manyatta, Moiben. The locals affectionately dubbed the area Kap-Chemanywes in his honor. Within Chemanywes, each distinct area bears its own unique name, such as Chepkokoch, Koibakurio, Kaptibis, Emkwen, Koiwa Taoia, and Kapkulunga. These names carry deep historical and cultural significance within the community, with Kapkulunga, for instance, being n...