Pandiat: How Maize Got Its Kalenjin Name

By William Kiptoo, as told to him by a Mzee from his neighbourhood. An oral account.

First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 29 October 2023.

Here is another story that I was told by a Mzee from my neighbourhood. It is the story behind the word "pandiat," or maize, in Kalenjin.

During the early days of settlement on the Uasin Gishu Plateau, farming was quite different from what we know today. Instead of using machines, people used oxen to plough the land and planted crops by hand. The two main crops that the early settlers grew were maize and wheat.

When it came to planting wheat, the settlers would spread the seeds by hand using an old buckskin apron. It was a slow and careful process to make sure the seeds were evenly distributed. On the other hand, maize was planted by hand with a specific spacing of one yard between each plant.

The first type of maize that was grown on the plateau was a red variety called Cheboros in the local Kalenjin language. However, later on, the settlers were introduced to a new variety of maize by the Portuguese. This new variety was white in colour and became quite popular among the farmers.

As the settlers worked alongside African workers, they needed a way to communicate and give instructions. Since the spacing between maize plants was one yard, they would tell the workers to "panda yard," or plant a yard's length of maize.

Over time, the Kalenjin people found a name for this new cereal. They called it "pandiat," or "pandek" in the plural. This name became widely used among the community to refer to maize.

So, the next time you enjoy corn on the cob or a bowl of maize porridge, remember the story behind the word "pandiat" and how it became a part of Kalenjin culture.

That is how the Mzee told it. Others think pandiat comes simply from the Swahili verb panda, to plant.