Wonders of Sergoit Hills

By Sonnie Cloete, from Habari Magazine, October 1983. Translated from Afrikaans and shared by William Kiptoo in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group. Cloete writes about the "Maasai holes" found in Uasin Gishu, some of which can still be seen at Lake Sergoit (Charar). The full text is given with only light correction of the translation. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 3 November 2023. Over the southern side of the Cherangani hills, covered and hidden under giant yellowwood and cedar trees some 500 to 600 years old, runs a path laid out in places with flat stones. But how many know about it? Who but a privileged few have seen it? Only by chance, and if one is very observant, does one suddenly become aware that one is walking on an old, old path. Then it disappears, and one sees it again near Timboroa, deeply trampled and washed away. Is it the same path? Possibly. On the Uasin Gishu (Maasai name, "Sea of Cattle") one would not ...

By William Kiptoo. Parts of this history come from oral tradition. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 1 September 2023. The Sirikwa Tribe and the Maasai Before the colonialists came, the Uasin Gishu plateau was home to a group of people called the Sirikwa. They were closely related to the Wakwafi. They occupied the plains (soi) of what is now part of Trans Nzoia, Lugari and Uasin Gishu. Sirikwa had his first son named Chepkoilel. The plains have since been referred to as Kapchepkoilel. Their settlement sites were known as Sirikwa holes, or hollows, which were saucer shaped hollows that have been found in various areas in Uasin Gishu. These hollows were usually found in groups, sometimes numbering less than ten and at times more than a hundred, and were deliberately constructed to house livestock. These hollows were surrounded by a fence or stockade and, on the downhill side, a single gate, usually with extra works and flanking guard houses. In rocky ter...

Shared by William Kiptoo. A summary of a chapter from Isaac Tarus's study, The Keiyo of Kenya During the Early Colonial Period, 1902 to 1939. The traditions it draws on are oral. First shared in The Wonders of Sergoit Hills Facebook group on 27 October 2021. The Keiyo, Tarus writes, are among the smallest Kalenjin communities and historically the least known. The earliest inhabitants of the Keiyo country are remembered as the Kapchegrot and Kimnegei, followed by the Kurut, and other early peoples included the Terngeny, the Okiek and the Sirikwa. Out of the meeting of the arriving Keiyo clans with these peoples, a distinct Keiyo society took shape. The Clans The Keiyo are divided into sixteen patrilineal clans: Talai, Terik, Tungo, Toiyoi, Targok, Kimoi, Kong'ato, Kabon, Kabilo, Soti, Saniak, Siokwei, Sokome, Kure, Mokio and Mokich. Most acted independently, though the Tungo and Kobil formed alliances. Tradition places the clans at Tulwop Kony (Mount Elgon), from where popul...

 By William Kiptoo Despite its historical richness and cultural diversity, Eldoret lacks two critical institutions: a public museum and a proper archival center. This absence is not just a missed opportunity; it is a glaring gap that weakens our identity, memory, and ability to plan for the future. Every town that hopes to understand itself and tell its story with pride needs a place where its history is preserved and interpreted. Eldoret, and the wider Uasin Gishu region, has a remarkable and unique history. From the prehistoric Sirikwa communities who lived in stone-lined depressions and caves, to the early colonial settlement by the Boers, the contributions of Indian and Sikh traders, and the resilience of indigenous African communities, our past is layered, complex, and deeply meaningful. Yet today, there is no formal space where residents or visitors can engage with that history in a structured, educational, and inspiring way. A museum is not just about artifacts in glass boxe...