Charar or Lake Sergoit (Updated Version)

By William Kiptoo

 In 2023, I shared a story tittled ”Lake Sergoit and the Fascinating Tale Behind the Name Charar." The post explored the origin of the local name, Charar, and the cultural meanings attached to it. Here is an updated version, added on the cultural and historical framing based on further research (2025). As you know knowledge is never static....read on and let me know what you think.

Lake Sergoit, sometimes called Charar, lies quietly in the heart of Uasin Gishu County, not far from Eldoret. To most travellers, it is just a shimmering patch of water beneath the shadow of Sergoit Hill, but to the communities that live around it, the lake carries stories older than memory.

While the true meaning of the name Charar is not yet still clear, some elders I interviewed claim that it comes from the Kalenjin word “charar”, meaning “to flow” or “to overflow.” That it evokes the sound and movement of water surging through the plains after heavy rains.

Elders say the lake was once part of a network of seasonal wetlands used for grazing and ceremonies. In those days, Sergoit itself—whose name is thought to mean “a place of antelopes” or “a place of clarity”—served as a natural lookout, a silent witness to both peace and conflict among early settlers and local clans.

Oral history links Charar to traditional rites of passage and to the belief that certain springs near the hill possess cleansing power. During droughts, rituals were held there to invoke rain and unity. The place also appears in stories of migration, where different Kalenjin sub-groups met and exchanged songs, forging relationships that still matter today.

If you visit Sergoit, stand by the lake and listen. The name Charar still lives in the rhythm of the wind and the laughter of herders nearby.