Keiyo
Keiyo highlands
“The child of the ridge learns wind before words.”
The Keiyo highlands within Elgeyo Marakwet, above the Kerio Valley.
- Capital
- Iten
- Region
- Keiyo highlands
- Altitude
- 1,800 to 2,700 metres
- Economy
- Athletics, dairy, horticulture, maize
- Keiyo
Iten · Chepkorio · Tambach · Kaptagat · Metkei · Kamariny
Keiyo country sits on the high ridge above the Kerio, within the county of Elgeyo Marakwet. Its five clans, Irongiek, Muteiyek, Metkeiyek, Moiiek, and Tumeiyek, hold ancestral wards that face the sunrise across the valley.
The high altitude and long ridge trails have made Keiyo one of the two great cradles of Kenyan athletics, alongside Nandi. Kaptagat, in particular, is a training ground of world reputation.
Foundation work in Keiyo country focuses on the council of elders, on the schools of the ridge, and on the athletics community that carries the name of the ridge onto the world stage.
Elders and heritage
Working with the Keiyo Council of Elders on clan records and rites.
Athletics families
Support programmes for the families and academies of Kaptagat and Chepkorio.
Ridge schools
Bursaries and library support for secondary schools serving Keiyo wards.
Keiyo Liaison (placeholder)
Community Coordinator, Keiyo Country
info@kalenjin.foundation
If you live or work in Keiyo and would like to be involved, please write to us and mention the county in your subject line.