When you visit Elgeyo Marakwet County, you’ll experience the captivating beauty of untouched nature. As you traverse through farmlands, forests, and human settlements, you’ll encounter the warm and hospitable locals who are always willing to offer directions and guidance.
Google Maps, while generally helpful in urban areas, becomes less reliable when traveling to remote rural regions. It often suggests U-turns or directs you towards hazardous routes, including rivers or gorges.
The major roads within the county are well-maintained and made of tarmac, serving as dependable all-weather routes. However, there are extensive stretches in the villages, situated on steep hills, that become impassable during the rainy season.
Elgeyo Marakwet boasts numerous large farms that are equipped with electric fences to safeguard their crops from livestock. Additionally, these farms also rear livestock, creating a harmonious coexistence between agriculture and animal husbandry.
The county is adorned with breathtaking hills, some of which host telecommunication towers to enhance communication. However, despite the presence of these towers, certain villages you pass through may lack proper phone signal coverage.
During my recent visit, I encountered a curfew in Kapyego location due to security concerns. This dusk-to-dawn curfew resulted in the harassment of civilians who failed to adhere to the directive issued by security agencies.
Elgeyo Marakwet is home to notable individuals, including Governor Wisley Rotich and the renowned Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Kipchumba Murkomen. Murkomen, a two-term senator, holds immense popularity within the county. Other prominent figures from Elgeyo Marakwet include Joseph Boinnet, former Inspector General of Police in Kenya; Esther Koimett, Director General of Public Investments at the National Treasury; Henry Rotich, former Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury; and the late Nicholas Biwott, a prominent politician and businessman.
The county boasts numerous other distinguished personalities who contribute significantly to its development, although limited space and time prevent us from listing them all here.
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