Elbert Lucas Steyn of Sergoit and the Steenkamp Accounts

Shared by William Kiptoo. The family history is drawn from Steyn family records; the closing anecdote is from Dan Steyn, Habari magazine, 2012.

First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 22 October 2023.

Elbert Lucas Steyn Snr was born on 19 February 1877 in the Transvaal. In 1908 he joined the van Rensburg Trek to Kenya, and in 1911 he bought a farm at Sergoit, which he worked for the rest of his life. He became a well respected figure in the Plateau community.

He married Elizabeth Johanna Antoinetta Smit in 1908, and they had four children, all born in Eldoret: Elbert Lucas Jr, Isaak Petrus Albertus, Gabriel Pieter and Susanna Catherina Sophia. Elbert Jr died at 12 from a rabid dog bite, and Isaak died in 1962. Steyn ploughed with a team of 16 oxen, broadcast his seed by hand from an old buckskin apron, and cut his wheat with a sickle.

After his first wife died he married Aletha Susanna Catherina Sophia Steenkamp. He died in Eldoret in 1967.

His son James Madden Steyn inherited the Sergoit farm and ran it until 1986, when he sold it to Hon. Nicholas Biwott. The farm manager was J.J. du Toit, known locally as Kihara. James and his family moved to France and bought a farm in the Mayenne region, which their son Elbert Lukas Steyn still farms. The Sergoit farm is today owned by Hon. Margaret Kamar, former Senator of Uasin Gishu and MP for Eldoret East.

One Name, a Whole Clan

Dan Steyn told a story from Eldoret about an over enthusiastic young manager, newly arrived from the UK, who caused chaos at one of the local oil companies. He could not understand why one Piet Steenkamp had so many different accounts, so he merged them all into one. Once the harvest was in and the accounts fell due, all hell broke loose. What he never realised was that Piet Steenkamp was not a single man but a whole clan of Steenkamps, cousins who all carried their grandfather's name, and a year's worth of fuel and oil bought on credit had landed on one account. How they sorted out that mess, Dan Steyn wrote, he never heard.

See also the van Rensburg Trek.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The History of the Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA) and Its Ties with the South African Dutch Reformed Church (DRC)

From the history of the Reformed Church of East Africa In the early 1900s, some people from the Boer republics in South Africa moved to Eastern Africa after the Anglo-Boer War. They didn't want to live under British rule, so they settled in Kenya. These migrant farmers were part of the Reformed Churches in South Africa. They formed their own congregation called Vergenoeg in Eldoret, Kenya. The land there was fertile and perfect for farming. At that time, Kenya was still a German colony called German East Africa, but it would soon become a British colony after World War I.  Rev. M. P. Loubser became the first minister of the congregation. He, along with other farmers, established a ministry among the farmworkers. In 1944, the congregation decided to call its first full-time missionary. Rev. Loubser had left money in his will specifically for mission work, which made this possible. They bought a school building called Broederstroom, which is now known as Plateau, to be used as a miss...
Read more

Ken-Knit (Kenya) Ltd.

Image
By William Kiptoo Ken-Knit (Kenya) Ltd. is a textile manufacturing company located in Eldoret, Kenya. It was founded in 1966 by three brothers - Gulabchand Shah, Somchand Shah, and Keshavlal Shah. With an initial capital of Sh50,000, the company started small with just one knitting machine producing hand-knitting yarn. However, over time, they expanded into spinning, blankets, knitwear, and other products. Initially focusing on hand-knitting yarn, Ken-Knit soon diversified into spinning units, blanket departments, and knitwear. They have grown into a major textile manufacturer in East Africa, known for their quality knitwear. In the late 1970s, they introduced a Composite spinning and dyeing plant for various types of yarn. Ken-Knit has kept up with modern technology, investing in machinery to ensure top quality and durability in their products. Ken-Knit offers a wide range of products, including sweaters, blankets, Maasai shukas, pillows, and kikois. They are also a leading manufactur...
Read more

Eldoret Town Estates

(Adopted from The Standard, Jan, 26, 2022) Eldoret town in Uasin Gishu is a rapidly growing urban center with a population of nearly half a million according to the 2019 national census. It is the sixth most populated town in Kenya after Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, and Ruiru. Eldoret is known for having some of the oldest estates, established as people migrated to urban areas in search of jobs starting in the 1960s. These estates have unique names based on the social status and race of the residents. Some estates existed even before independence, with Africans living in estates like Kidiwa, Macharia, Kilimani, Majengo, and Kapsuswo near the Kipchoge Keino Stadium. Somalis lived in Kampi Somali, Indians in Eldoret West, and whites in Elgon View and Kapsoya estates. Elgon View estate was associated with affluent individuals such as politicians, athletes, civil servants, and businessmen. The estate was home to whites, government officials, and colonial administrators. After independ...
Read more