THE LEGACY OF WILLIAM MILLARD SPENCER IN ITEN AND THE PODO TREES PLANTED IN 1959

By Hillary Kosgey Arap Masut, An Anthology of Memoirs

When you come to Iten and pass by the KCB Bank area, you will be amazed by the sight of several gigantic trees. These trees were planted in 1959 by William Millard Spencer during the Queen Mother’s visit to Elgeyo Marakwet District, when she visited Kamariny.

At that time, Spencer, an agricultural officer, was transferred to make Iten the headquarters for his work. He lived in a nearby brick house that also acted as his office. Today, that house is close to where Tomnos House stands in Iten.

William Millard Spencer was born in April 1894. He served in the army and was promoted to captain by the end of World War I. His military service shaped the discipline and methodical approach he later applied in soil conservation and land management in Elgeyo Marakwet. He was blessed with two daughters.

Spencer came to Kenya as a settler and initially served as an assistant agricultural officer. By November 1947, he became the agricultural officer for Elgeyo Marakwet District, a position he held until 1972. At that time, he was the only agricultural officer in a district spanning 1,000 square miles, with only one trained instructor and twenty untrained assistants. Together, they managed many experimental plots established by District Commissioner Starrs Fox.

During his tenure, Spencer introduced crops such as pyrethrum, potatoes, vegetables, and later milk production. He was the master planner of these programs. He also focused on soil and water conservation. The Elgeyo Escarpment and Kerio Valley were highly vulnerable to erosion, and Spencer supervised terracing, contour farming, grass strip planting, and controlled grazing.

These measures were often unpopular because they required labor and changed traditional farming practices, but they permanently transformed agriculture in the district. Today, the effects of his work continue to influence land management.

Spencer is a name slowly fading from local memory, but he is known across Elgeyo Marakwet. He lived and worked in Chepkorio, Tambach, Iten, Kaptagat, and Chebiemit. In Iten, he left a lasting mark by planting the beautiful podo trees, also known as Podocarpus latifolius.

He likely chose podo because it thrives in high-altitude areas, conserves soil, and grows slowly, making it ideal for future generations. He planted them at the roadside junction leading to Marakwet District, providing shade and preserving the hanging valley off the Elgeyo Escarpment through the use of the Spencer Lines.

As a child, I remember annual visits by migratory Green African parrots that nested in these trees before moving on. Sadly, they no longer visit today. It is my hope that the government continues to preserve these trees, despite road expansions, because they are very special.

From interviews, I have an image showing what William Millard Spencer looked like around 1969. Among his close friends was Barmariny Chemweno, and his assistants in the Spencer Line projects included Thomas Cheptiony of Kamariny and William Chemweno, son of Barmariny Chemweno.

Many of the podo trees still stand today, although a few have been cut down. They were planted in a place that was once a traditional barter trade market, now the site of KCB Bank since 1982. Evidence shows they were planted around August 1959. Mwalimu Joseph Serem remembered seeing them as young seedlings that year, and a photograph of Iten taken in 1979 by the late Mwalimu Bill Lynch shows the trees already grown to nearly their current size.

William Millard Spencer died in Kaptagat around 1983 and was buried in Eldoret Cemetery. His name, his work in agricultural education, and the podo trees he planted continue to stand as a living testament to his contributions in Elgeyo Marakwet.