BLOGS FROM THE MOUNTAIN

Photo/bbc: African Carrier Corps during WW 2. By Thomas Chemelil Sometimes back when I was young, I came across a few old men who had heavy military trenchcoats, military caps and medals of honour who said that they participated in the World War of 1939-1945. I was young then and my memory cannot serve me right. One old man fondly bragged in our village that he helped capture Mussolini in the "Kiptalian" War. I later on deduced he must have been talking of Italian war! I also met another man from my village who fondly talked of having gone to a place he called "Puur ma". Later on I guessed that he may have been referring to Burma.  In Kapcherop Division, a mzee who was popularly known as Kalamat near the famous SS corner would always proudly put on his military coat and cap. He was a great orator and philosopher of some kind. I once met him as he walked about in the area. "How are you?" he greeted me in my native Marakwet tongue. "I am fine," I j...

 Photo/Sources: Moon shooting By Thomas Chemelil I have always told you that this world is full of sweet stories. All you need to do is scrap the surface to unearth riveting tales from the past.I have always sought to inspire my readers with these tales at every opportune moment. The Lawich people, a majority of whom live near the Kapsowar areas, have this regalling tale. I am told, as the Lawich people recount, that one evening, the Lawich people ventured out of their households only to be met by the full glare of the moon that shone from the Western skies. The moon was so close to the ground and perturbed the perplexed Lawich people. Somebody in the crowd came with the wild idea that they should shoot the moon! Chineke! The Lawich men rushed to their huts to fetch their bows and arrows. Soon, the spectacle of men attempting to shoot the moon unfolded. By the end of the day, the Lawich men had wasted their arrows on the futile exercise of shooting the moon. They had however tried....

Photo/tcm.com: Romeo and Juliet By Thomas Chemelil Sometimes in the early 90s, Brother Paul Brennan(may his soul rest in peace) introduced us to the magical world of Shakespeares literature. Through well choreographed lessons, he made us devour Romeo and Juliet, the timeless love story of two star-crossed lovers whose deaths make their families, the Montagues and the Capulets, reconcile and forget their bitterness. To make us easily grasp the story, Brother Paul Brennan took the effort to ship in a video tape of the classical story. Since then, I have always yearned to watch that movie one more time. Tonight, through YouTube, I have come across the lovely tale again. What a joy! It has taken me down memory lane. Meeting my favourite characters like Mercutio, Friar Lawrence, Benvolia, the Nurse and Balthazar evokes sweet memories. It is akin to meeting long-lost relatives! Old as it is, Romeo and Juliet is a classical story of love's triumph over hate. It is a constant reminder to u...

By Thomas Chemelil When you drop to the areas around Sambalat in Elgeyo Marakwet, you will be greeted by lush-green forests of carefully planted mango trees which dot the once barren terrains. It is evident that the residents of Sambalat have found a new passion that is helping in mitigating the climate change issue-the planting of thousands of mango trees. The approach by Elgeyo Marakwet to plant economically viable fruit trees along the escarpment seems to be bearing fruit-literally. Governor Wisley Rotich has been on the forefront of advocating for economically viable trees along the escarpments. He has championed for planting of coffee shrubs and mango trees to act as buffer-zones for the fragile ecosystem along the Kerio escarpment. The Spenser cut-line has recieved a boost with mangoes and coffee shrubs being part of mitigation efforts. EMC must be lauded for this bold initiative which is gaining support from communities as they are the direct beneficiaries of the bushes. It is e...