Ancient Sergoit

 This story, from the 2007 edition of Habari Magazine (Friends of East Africa), describes the area between Kaptuli and Chepkoilel (Kabao). The mention of Plip Prinsloo's former home (now Kaplogoi) and Sony Cloette's home (now Koitoror) suggests that Piet Davies' home could be nearby, likely not far from the Sergoit hill area as indicated in the photos. Can anyone identify Davies' and De Waal's homes?

...As we passed Iten it stood there, as it always has Sergoit Rock. A short way along the road we recognised what we thought was Piet Davies' old house. We tried to find a way of getting to Tom Davies' old house, but the area was fenced, we could not find a gate and did not have that much time. There was the main road to Eldoret, another going north and a rough track in the general direction of Plateau. This proved to be the old road that we remembered. Flip Prinsloo's old house can still be seen as well as Sonny Cloete's which is surrounded by trees. We reached the crossroads at the blue gum plantation which is still there, believe it or not, and everything fell into place. We turned left and followed the road from where Jim Davies' house can be seen and tant Poppie Jordaan's old place

which still looks in reasonable shape. As in those days, there are large fields of wheat (ngano) and the people seem to be doing quite well. We found the turn-off to the farm just before Eddie de Waal's house and folllowed the track but a number of other tracks confused the issue and after a few enquiries decided we were going in the wrong direction and turned back. Within this short period the word had spread and an old man flagged us down. He had heard that we were looking for the farm. He introduced himself as Alexander and claimed that he had been a driver for the De Waalls at that time. He offered to show us the way and off we went.

The old road which we remembered has long since been replaced with a network of tracks but he took us straight to the farm, up the hill and there was the derelict old house. After 44 years we had come home, but home was no longer there! Except for the grain store, which is now a school, and another cudbuiliding, everything has changed. The forest has disappeared as though it had never been. We had to mentally reconstruct the layout of the place in which we had once lived so intensely during our Kenya childhood. A couple of families now live in the house. They were very friendly and invited us to have a look inside. It was an extremely emotional, disturbing and private experience disbelief, sadness, anger and the realisation that nothing is permanent. The walls of our childhood bedroom were blackened by smoke due to fires made on the floor.

There was a pile of wood in the corner. We did not really bother to look into all the other rooms. The old house seemed to have shrunk and stood there like an old person with a terminal disease a silent accusation of neglect. There had of course been no maintenance for 44 years and maize and vegetables grew right up to the front door. I could not help but think that it would in many ways have been preferable had the house, like the forest, disappeared from the face of the earth.

We went for a short drive on what used to be the farm. The dam was still intact as well as the cattle dip which was built by Steve Kruger in 1950. It is still being used and is in perfect condition. Practically the whole area is covered with plots on which maize grew. It was some kind of consolation to know that the families of most of the people who had once worked for us seemed to be doing reasonably well and had good crops. With one or two exceptions almost all the people who worked on the farm at that time have passed away, but we did manage to meet the very old wife of Kiplagat who worked in the house in those days. We drove away in relative silence, as we had done in 1962, but more was to come.

It had rained the day before and after a quick look at Hugo de Waal's old house we followed the familiar dirt road to Eldoret which was quite bad. We stopped to see the old Highlands School, now called Moi Girls High School, which seems to be in reasonable shape. We did not go into the grounds. The Hill School appears to be going strong and hasn't changed much, except for lack of maintenance and the old school bell still hangs in the same place. Mr. Brindley's name is still there on a notice board containing a list of names of previous headmasters.

We met a number of friendly teachers who showed us around and who were quite surprised to hear that we had once attended the school.