Five Short Histories from Around Eldoret: Cherunya, Kuinet, Mutwot, the Sergoit Aloe and the First Schools

By William Kiptoo

Some places around Eldoret carry long stories in short names. Over the past two years I have written brief notes on several of them. Here they are together in one place, with a little more of the story behind each.

Cherunya: A Fuel Stop and a Famous Farmer

Cherunya is a small trading centre on the Eldoret to Eldama Ravine road, about 20 kilometres from Eldoret town. It grew up as a place where farmers bought fuel for their tractors.

The centre takes its name from the late Kiptalam arap Cherunya, who owned a large farm nearby. He was a respected figure in the Uasin Gishu farming community and owned several farms in the county, including the 680-acre farm bordering Langas in Eldoret town that later became the subject of a long land dispute. Every time a farmer stops at Cherunya, the old man’s name is spoken again.

Kuinet: The Place of Horns

Kuinet trading centre lies on the Eldoret to Kitale road, about 15 kilometres from Eldoret town, in Kuinet/Kapsuswa Ward. The settlement is made up of three farms, Kapchan, SFT and Longnet, and is recorded as covering about 13.16 hectares, home to around 697 people.

“Kuinet” means “horn” in Kalenjin. The story goes that the name came from a butchery that displayed animal horns on the walls of the shop. Travellers began to call the place after the horns, and the name stayed long after the butchery was gone.

Mutwot: Reeds, Old Houses and a President’s Stopover

Photo: Moibenshire (@Kapyoseiin on X)

Mutwot is a trading centre on the Eldoret to Kapsabet road, in Lelmokwo/Ngechek Ward of Chesumei Sub County, Nandi County. Its name means “reeds” in Kalenjin, after the reeds that grow along the nearby Kipkaren River.

What sets Mutwot apart is its old buildings. Some of its houses date back to the 1930s, with a distinctive Swahili style of roofing, and the centre was a regular stopover for former President Moi. Residents say the old structures survived because the older generation refused to sell their land. Opinions about the town are divided. Some call it run down, “mbovu,” and want new development and better leadership, while others value it for its history and its quiet. Recent additions such as security lights suggest that change is slowly coming.

The Sergoit Aloe

Sergoit Hill has a plant of its own. Aloe sergoitensis is a species of aloe named after Sergoit and found here. Botanists distinguish it from the related Aloe elgonica by its forked teeth along the leaf edges, its less densely flowered racemes, and its smaller coral red flowers. Its leaves are longer, with a slight bluish bloom. Few people who climb the hill at Christmas know that they are walking among a plant that carries the hill’s name.

Eldoret’s First Schools

Eldoret has long been a centre of education. In 1928 the colonial government opened a school for European girls called Highlands School. It was later opened to all, and in 1978 it was renamed Moi Girls High School.

At the time, the area was part of the so-called White Highlands, which the colonial government reserved for Europeans from 1902 until 1961. Schools were divided in the same way. Uasin Gishu (UG) Primary School mainly served Asian children, and it was not until 1963 that the first African children enrolled in these schools. The school known as “64” Secondary School was set up around the same time, and its name still recalls those first years of independence.

If you know more about any of these places, please add your memories in the comments.