Kapkatet, The Only Shopping Centre In Kericho County Boasting Of A Private Museum
Kapkatet is a small rural town in Bureti constituency of Kericho county.
The town is along the Kericho -Sotik road.It also has a road link to Bomet county.It is one of the busiest town in South Rift.
Kapkatet originated from the word 'katet' which means a thorn used for sewing clothes notably by the Kipsigis before the modern sewing needles were introduced and made available to the area.
It was an improvised needle.Kapkatet is also nick-named the headquarters of the Kipsigis because it is situated in a central point between the counties of Kericho and Bomet.
People living in this town are mainly the Kipsigis and minority are people from other parts of the country and are doing businesses or working in nearby tea estates.
Main economic activities in the area are:tea farming,maize growing and livestock keeping.Banks found in the town includes Equity bank,Bureti Tea Sacco and other banking agencies attesting to Kapkatet's economic endowment.
Museum of History,Art and Science of the Kipsigis is within the town and it is where implements and other artifacts that depict the Kipsigis culture are preserved.
The museum was founded by Mr Alex Tum who lectures Mathematics at Moi University's,Kericho campus.
Kapkatet tea factory which wholly owned by Kenya Tea Development Agency is a stone throw from the town.
During lunch time there is always a crowd of people coming out of the factory and one could mistake them for people dispersing from a political rally or a crusade.,if she or he hasn't seen the factory's signpost or buildings.
The town has a good medical facility,Kapkatet District hospital which is well-equipped and residents are assured of better medical care.
Other notable institutions of higher learning are Kapkatet Medical Training College which is run by the government of Kenya and was established on September 2007 and Kabianga University College,Kapkatet campus.
Tengecha Boys High School,Tengecha Girls High School and Tengecha Boarding Primary School renowned for their academic prowesses are a few kilometres away from the town.
Kapkatet is endowed with athletic talent but lack infrastructures to support emerging talents to achieve their full potentials.It is surrounded by hilly terrains and wet climate all year a round,making it favourable for high altitude training.
Athletic infrastructure like the famous Kapkatet stadium where major political rallies have been held,politics affecting the Kipsigis discussed,declarations made and prominent political leaders crowned as Kipsigis elders,is not up to par.
The town has a relatively good transport network .Road is the main mode of transport and motor cycles locally known as 'bota bota' and Toyota station wagons also referred to as 'Kiprobox' the most common means of transport.
The surrounding of the town has also produced influential people like the late Paramount chief,Mr Cheborgei Arap Tengecha of Kapchamogonde clan was one of the powerful and respected paramount chiefs in the Kipsigis land from economic,social to political matters.
He was also instrumental in the establishment of Kapkatet town,Kipsigis holy shrine and coming up with Tengecha Educational facilities which has churned out big number of students to both public and private universities locally and internationally.
The late Professor Jonathan Ngeno hailed from the area.A favourite local meal is maize meal locally called 'kimyet',enjoyed with vegetable,beef or stripe(matumbo).
An almost constant accompaniment is a glass or a cup of sour milk known as 'mursik' which is prepared in a calabash.
Because of the cool and constant rainfall in the area,tea is taken like doctor's medicine prescriptions,taken three times a day:at dawn,at mid-morning and at around four o'clock.
Tea after evening meal is common.Most people here believe that taking tea regularly is a way of keeping oneself warm.
Eating meat accompanied by other food and not with ugali is consider a taboo by most Kipsigis in this town.They say by doing so,it is like throwing the meat away.
The town has a lot of potential as an investment destination but the the price of buying plots has skyrocketed when the county governments were introduced.
