Wonders of Sergoit Hills

 By william Kiptoo Many travelers along the Eldoret-Nakuru highway know the names Mlango Moja, Mlango Mbili, Mlango Tatu and Mlango Nne near Mumberes and the Equator. But few know the stories behind them. Local oral history gives two main explanations. The first and most widely repeated account says the “Mlango” names came from sheep ranch gates during the colonial period. Older residents describe large settler sheep farms spread across the cold Timboroa escarpment, where Merino sheep farming thrived because of the high altitude climate. Travelers reportedly passed through numbered livestock gates, which people simply began calling Mlango Moja, Mlango Mbili, Mlango Tatu and so on. Even after the gates disappeared, the names remained. Historical records still describe Timboroa, Mumberes and Molo as areas known for Merino sheep farming. A second oral account links the Mlango names to forest and estate entry gates used during the colonial era. According to this version, the gates cont...

  Eldoret at sunset. Photo by William Kiptoo (Feb 2026)       By William Kiptoo Eldoret’s Migration Wave: A City of Champions at a Crossroads Every day, dozens of people arrive in Eldoret with one intention: to stay. The figure, about 60 new permanent residents daily, may sound abstract, but it adds up quickly. That’s more than 21,000 people each year, on top of the city’s already fast natural growth. Eldoret, once a modest town, now counts over half a million residents, and the pace shows no signs of slowing. This is not just a statistic. It’s a story of families chasing opportunity, young people seeking education, and workers drawn by the promise of jobs. Eldoret has become a magnet, thanks to its reputation as a hub for athletics, commerce, and healthcare. But with every new arrival, the city’s strengths are tested. Walk through Eldoret today and you’ll see both sides of the coin. Bustling markets, new estates, and thriving businesses tell a story of growth. ...

By William Kiptoo   In 2011, Sergoit grabbed national headlines when plans for the Sergoit Golf and Wildlife Resort were unveiled. Marketed as a game-changing project, it was pitched as Kenya’s first true “sports city.” Investors promised a five-star hotel, championship golf courses, an athletics track to build on Eldoret’s reputation as the home of champions, a private airstrip, and luxury residential estates. Conservation was also part of the package, with a wildlife sanctuary integrated into the development.  The project generated enormous hype. Land prices in the area surged, and locals were told to expect jobs, infrastructure, and global attention. At the time, even rumors circulated that the Kruger family, long-time farmers around Sergoit, would exit Kenya after selling large tracts of land to developers. But more than a decade later, the dream has stalled. The grand masterplans and promotional pitches have given way to silence. No golf course, no hotel, no airstrip. Ins...

 By William Kiptoo In the early 1970s, Moiben in Uasin Gishu County was part of Kenya’s post-independence land redistribution program. Large settler farms were subdivided and allocated to local families, creating new settlements. Among these was the area that would later be known as Torochmoi. As part of the resettlement plan, essential amenities were set aside, including a new school to serve the children of the farming families. Initially, this school and settlement had no formal name. A story is told that in 1978, Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi, then Vice President of Kenya, visited the new settlement and its school. Moi was a local son of the Rift Valley, and his rise in national politics carried symbolic weight for communities in Uasin Gishu and beyond. It is said the residents gave Moi a warm welcome, and in appreciation, they chose to name the school Toroch Moi. In the local Kalenjin language, Toroch means “welcome.” Thus, Toroch Moi literally translates to “Welcome Moi.” This ac...

 By William Kiptoo The County Council of Wareng was a local authority in Kenya established under the Local Government Act, Cap 265, which governed the operations of municipal and county councils across the country. It was located in Uasin Gishu District, with its headquarters in Eldoret, and its jurisdiction covered the rural areas surrounding Eldoret town. The council existed alongside the Municipal Council of Eldoret, which administered the urban core, while Wareng focused on rural governance. Its functions included the maintenance of rural roads, management of markets, provision of sanitation services, licensing of businesses, and support for agricultural development. Councillors were elected from wards within its jurisdiction, and the council raised revenue through local taxes, fees, and licenses. The County Council of Wareng operated throughout the post-independence period until the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya in 2010. The new constitution introduced a devolved s...

  It is a fantastic feeling to compare two different eras through photographs. I have always loved photos, and whenever I find an old one, I feel an irresistible urge to return to the exact spot where it was taken and capture a present day version. The purpose is deeper than simply recreating an image. It gives me a sense of connection. It allows me to feel the life then and the life now, to sense the people who stood there before me and the people who walk there today. Sometimes it feels as though I am speaking to both sides of time, and perhaps that is just something that lives in me. Today I stood in the same place where a cameraman stood in 1980. On that day he took a photograph of K A Tiren Merchandise at a time when a small pub stood in that space. In my photograph today a cooperative bank occupies the same ground. That is what time and change truly mean. The two photos are exactly 45 years apart. His photograph captured President Daniel arap Moi at 56 years old and only 2 ye...

By William Kiptoo   In 2023, I shared a story tittled  ”Lake Sergoit and the Fascinating Tale Behind the Name Charar."  The post explored the origin of the local name, Charar, and the cultural meanings attached to it. Here is an updated version, added on the cultural and historical framing based on further research (2025). As you know knowledge is never static....read on and let me know what you think. Lake Sergoit, sometimes called Charar, lies quietly in the heart of Uasin Gishu County, not far from Eldoret. To most travellers, it is just a shimmering patch of water beneath the shadow of Sergoit Hill, but to the communities that live around it, the lake carries stories older than memory. While the true meaning of the name Charar is not yet still clear, some elders I interviewed claim that it comes from the Kalenjin word “charar”, meaning “to flow” or “to overflow.” That it evokes the sound and movement of water surging through the plains after heavy rains. Elders say th...

 By Hillary Kosgey Arap Masut The Iten Viewpoint did not exist before the tarmacking of the Iten Tambach road. What people today casually call Viewpoint was once a dangerous, uninhabited and rocky natural place. In those days, the only marker at that spot was a huge precolonial and colonial era DANGER sign. The warning existed because of the sheer cliff that drops sharply toward the Nyawa and Anin directions, a silent alert to travellers, locals and adventurous wanderers of the peril that lay ahead. In my upcoming memoir book, I will explain the real source and meaning of the name ITEN, a name originally given by our ancestors. It is completely untrue to claim that Iten was named after Joseph Thomson’s Hill Ten or that the name simply means hill number 10. That narrative is false. The true origin of the name lies in the giant rock beside the present day Viewpoint site, a landmark that predates colonial mapping and continues to define the place. From my research and lived memory, It...

By William Kiptoo Chepkoilel Chepkoilel is located in Moiben, Uasin Gishu. It is historically associated with the Sirikwa people. Oral traditions and archaeological evidence point to the early occupation and settlement of the area by the Sirikwa. Scholarly work on Kalenjin names and local oral histories suggests that the name  Chepkoilel  may refer to stones, specifically the white stones of the Sirikwa clans. In the early 1920s, the area around University of Eldoret (previously  Chepkoilel campus ) was set aside by the colonial government as an experimental or model farm for agricultural development. In 1946, Chepkoilel was developed into a Farmers Training Centre to provide formal training for agricultural technicians. This agricultural purpose explains the extensive landholdings still associated with the campus area today. In 1984, the site was converted into a Teachers Training College to offer diploma-level science teacher training. In 1990, the facility was taken ov...