Chemanywes/Sergoit Rock Farm
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 named after the pioneering Kulunga family, who were among the first to settle there. Some have claimed that Kapkulunga means Kruger, with reports suggeting that Kruger family could have once owned the land.
Below: is the house that belonged to the settler
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