Duka Mkono: The Walking Shop of Rock Farm

By Henry Kibiwott Chebii

First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 17 October 2025.

Let us take a walk down memory lane, back to the 1990s and early 2000s. There was always that one person who sold things from village to village. In our village, Chemanywes, we had one: an astute Luhya man famously known as Duka Mkono, the shop in the hand. I think people called him that because he carried all his goods by hand.

You would see him walking from house to house with bundles of items: basins, combs, cups, mugs, spoons, soap, thermos flasks, photo album holders, nail cutters, key holders and many other small household needs. He had a routine, and he stuck to it faithfully, week after week, month after month, year after year.

We got used to him. In Rock Farm, where we lived, he came every Tuesday without fail. He had planned his rounds so well that every Thursday he would be on the other side of Rock Farm. If you went to places like Kapnyangi, you would meet him on a different day. One time we even saw him in Kapsoni, and we were surprised by how consistent and organised he was.

Was he earning anything from all this? Definitely. No one would keep doing such hard work without some kind of reward. Many of us took things on credit and paid later. Sometimes a whole month would pass before we paid, yet he still trusted us and kept giving us more. That kind of patience and trust is rare.

He was not the only one. Other travelling traders came with the seasons. One reader, Samwel Keter, remembers Chepmorkorek, who sold water pots (mitungi) during the harvest season.

I believe Duka Mkono must have built something solid over the years. No one can survive doing that kind of business for so long without growing. When I see others like him today, I feel a mix of pity and deep respect. They remind me of the past, of simpler times and honest hustle. May God bless them.

For the history of the village, read Chemanywes: The Story of Sergoit Rock Farm.