Torok Falls: A 64 Year Recreation, 1962 and 2026

By Hillary Kosgey Arap Masut, from An Anthology of Memoirs

First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 28 June 2026.

For many years I have wanted to recreate one particular photograph that a friend shared with me. It was taken approximately sixty four years ago, probably around June 1962, facing the magnificent Torok Falls. Today, I finally had the opportunity to try.

Torok Falls, anciently known as Kapsurur Bei, is often described as the highest waterfall in Kenya, plunging an impressive 610 feet, or 186 metres. It is located about 15 kilometres from Tambach, my ancestral home in Elgeyo Marakwet County.

The water begins its remarkable journey in the Kaptarakwa Forest before flowing as two tributaries known as Konda and Kipkalwa. These streams merge to form the Torok River, which continues its course before dramatically plunging over the escarpment to create the breathtaking Torok Falls. After its spectacular drop, the river winds through the steep gorges of the Kerio Valley before joining the Kerio River. The Kerio River then continues its journey north for approximately 350 kilometres before finally emptying into Lake Turkana.

To recreate the old photograph, I asked my ten year old son, Nathan, to stand where nine year old Blad had stood back in 1962. Blad is alive, well, and still in contact with me today, making this recreation even more meaningful.

Finding the exact location, however, was far from easy. Over six decades, nature has quietly transformed the landscape. Thick undergrowth, shrubs, and trees now obscure much of the original viewpoint. In the 1962 photograph there is a cedar guard rail post standing beside Blad's right side. Although time has taken its toll and the post is now broken, the remaining section is still embedded in the ground. That forgotten piece of cedar became my most important landmark in identifying the original location. Even then, the dense vegetation blocked much of Blad's original view, so I did the best I could to capture the same perspective, knowing that time had gently reshaped the surroundings.

When I finally compared the two photographs, one thought immediately came to mind. Time had changed almost everything around us, yet it had changed almost nothing. The vegetation has grown, people have come and gone, and generations have passed. Yet the waterfall remains as majestic and timeless as ever.

Imagine standing before a waterfall that has thundered over these cliffs for perhaps millions of years, silently witnessing every chapter of human history. Long before roads were built, before colonial explorers arrived, before Kenya became a nation, before any of us were born, Torok Falls was already here. These two photographs, taken approximately sixty four years apart, remind us that while human lives are measured in decades, nature measures time very differently.

My next mission is to recreate another historic photograph, this time at Chebloch Gorge, taken sometime between 1959 and the early 1960s. I look forward to sharing that journey as well.

First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 28 June 2026. A note on the height: figures for Kenya's waterfalls vary between sources, and some give other falls, such as Gura Falls in the Aberdares, as the country's highest.