By Mercy Kachenge
Mt.Elgon, Bungoma County: The inaugural of Kapkugo Festival in Mt Elgon brought all the Kalenjin Sub-tribes to celebrate their culture and heritage. Kapkugo festival aimed at reconnecting with the community and safeguarding the rich cultural heritage of the Kalenjin people for the future generations with the theme of event being,’Celebrating Kapkugo our culture our heritage ‘.
Miriam Chepkoech Koskei, Founder of Kapkugo Festival, explained that the Kapkugo Festival was created to address the diminishing culture within society. The festival provides a space for all subtribes of the Kalenjin to gather, learn about each other, and find ways to preserve their culture for the future. Mt. Elgon was chosen as the location due to its historical significance for the Kalenjin people.
Koskei recounts “Mount Elgon was the first point of dispersal after the journey from Egypt to Kenya. It was here that they initially settled before the tribes began to spread out.She refers to Kapkugo, emphasizing the call for unity: a message to “come back home” and return to their roots as a unified community. By coming together, the sub-tribes can support one another and strengthen their collective identity” she explains.
According to Koskei, Kapkugo refers to the place where our grandfather came from which symbolizes our ancestral roots. The festival was a call to people to return and reconnect with their heritage, saying, “Hey, this is where our grandfather was from.”
Adding ‘’My aspiration is that the Kapkugo Festival will bring together like-minded individuals who are passionate about culture or even inspire those who may not yet be passionate to start thinking about it in a meaningful way with the goal of preserving our culture for future generations”, said Koskei.
Mercy envisions Kapkugo growing annually to incorporate the exchange of information, sharing of knowledge, fostering of interactions, and connecting with individuals who can aid in cultural preservation. This growth would establish a space for cultural engagement and sustainability, benefiting both present and future generations.
‘’The question we must ask is: how can we ensure that the Kalenjin culture remains alive, vibrant, and relevant for years to come even after we have left this earth? This effort is for us, our children, and our grandchildren”, she asked.
Koskei emphasized the role of the Ministry of Gender, Culture, The Arts and Heritage in promoting and celebrating cultural heritage. She stated, “I think the Ministry of Culture is doing quite a bit in terms of ensuring that culture is being celebrated. We see this through various festivals held throughout the year, with different communities hosting these events.”
Koskei urged county governments to continue supporting cultural initiatives and to recognize the contributions of those who facilitate cultural preservation: “I think it’s important to support people who are interested in culture and those who work to preserve it, historians, educators, and others who play a role in keeping our traditions alive. This is not just an industry; it’s a way of life that must be nurtured for future generations.”
Kipchumba Murkomen, Cabinet Secretary For Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports, stated they are very proud as the Ministry of Sports, in collaboration with the Department of Culture, to have supported this event and looking ahead to next year.
CS urged the need for a stronger collaboration between the Department of Culture and the Ministry of Sports by integrating cultural and sporting activities. This will not only enhance the experience but also bring more people together. This will involve adding a sporting component that could make the event more engaging, starting the day with a community sports match and culminating the event with a grand celebration.
“Our goal is to take sports to the grassroots level, ensuring broader participation and inclusivity. By combining sports and culture, we can make future events more impactful and memorable for all”, he said.
Adding ‘”We can take the winning teams from different counties and have them play against local teams here. Over a three-day event, we can determine the final team, creating a competitive and exciting atmosphere and we are ready to support this initiative, so let’s structure it in that direction to ensure its success”, said Murkomen.
The CS stated that as highlighted by the Member of Parliament for Mt Elgon, Fred Kapondi, he was concerned about infrastructure in the area and even before leaving the Ministry, he had already initiated plans to allocate resources through the Road Maintenance Fund.
This effort has already seen improvements, with the budget increasing significantly over the past seven years. My successor has continued this work diligently, particularly through the securitization of Road Maintenance Funds, which is transforming our country.
According to the CS,he promised to also engage with Davis Chirchir, CS for the Ministry of Roads and Transport to and remind the President about the importance of providing a substantial resource package for this constituency. This is not just about benefiting one place but ensuring that our collective efforts bring meaningful development to the community.
The CS underscored the need to urgently protect the existing trees, emphasizing that this is a priority we must all agree to support without delay. He stated, “Preserving our current forest cover is critical, and we must rally together to safeguard it.”
Additionally, the CS highlighted the importance of addressing cultural practices that perpetuate Gender Based Violence, including FGM. “We must acknowledge that such practices are outdated and harmful. It’s our collective responsibility to eliminate them, not just in this community but across the entire region,” he asserted.
He concluded by expressing his enthusiasm for continued involvement in local initiatives, saying, “I am here to celebrate with you and to reaffirm my commitment to returning time and again to support more activities in sports, youth empowerment, and culture. This includes the implementation of the VUKA program, which focuses on helping form-four school leavers get back on track.”
Pastor Janepher Mbatiany, Deputy Governor, Bungoma County, said that the Kapkugo festival was inspired by the desire of the Kalenjin sub-tribes to reconnect with their roots and identify with their ancestral homeland, Kapkugo, which means ‘from our grandfather,’ symbolizing a return to their origins a journey to rediscover and connect with the land where their great-great-grandfathers lived.
“Through the festival, they have seen the communities coming together, fostering interaction and unity. It has been a meaningful experience for everyone involved and it was a great opportunity for us to mingle, network, get to know one another, and celebrate our cultural diversity. Through this experience, we realized just how much we have in common far more than the few differences that set us apart,’’she said.
Adding “For those of us living in Bungoma, we often face challenges because, being in Western Kenya, people sometimes think we are Luhyas and not part of the Kalenjin community. This festival provided an opportunity to showcase our culture, affirm our identity, and prove that we are indeed one people. It has been a unifying and enlightening experience for all of us.’’
According to the Deputy Governor, she revealed that Kapkugo Festival preserves Kalenjin Heritage through cultural festivals that entailed showcasing numerous aspects of our heritage. They displayed traditional songs and cultural practices from long ago on how children were named, the types of food our ancestors ate, and the attire they wore.
This made the festival play a significant role in preserving our culture because it reminded us of the richness of our heritage and the importance of safeguarding it. It also exposed the younger generation to these traditions which enabled them to learn and understand that, as a community, we have a culture and values that define us.
“It was an opportunity for them to realize that we belong to a community with guiding principles, values, and a strong sense of identity. These are the very values we must instill in the next generation, so we can nurture a society that upholds discipline, coexists peacefully, and respects its roots”,said Hon Mbatiany.
She stated that the county and the National Government played a significant role in sensitization and mobilizing people to attend the Kapkugo Festival in Mt. Elgon, since this was the first of its kind in history where it was vital for us as a county to take the lead.
Additionally, the national government, through the Ministry of Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage, their contribution was invaluable particularly in offering technical expertise. Also the Bomas of Kenya played a crucial role in handling decorations and construction for the event, which significantly elevated its standards, through publicity efforts in airing on TV and radio that helped attract a wide audience.
Furthermore, the national government assisted in mobilizing partners who supported the event particularly the Head of Public Service, Felix Koskei and CS Kipchumba Murkomen for accepting the invitation to be the guest of honor on the days which added immense value to the festival.
“Looking ahead, our goal is to start planning early and incorporate a wider range of stakeholders to bring everyone on board who matters in society,the council of elders, professionals, women, youth, and both the county and national governments, so we can work together to ensure the festival’s success. In which, we also plan to reach out to non-governmental organizations for their support, which will be instrumental in helping us achieve our objectives and expand the festival further. “She said.
According to Mbatiany, cultural institutions, particularly the Council of Elders, are strengthened and fully prepared to host future events this includes sensitizing and equipping them well in advance to ensure their readiness. She added that Mount Elgon is a significant tourist destination whereby it has remained somewhat underexposed. She applauded the founder of the event since more people are beginning to learn about Mount Elgon, which will likely attract greater interest from international stakeholders in enhancing the festival and promoting Mount Elgon as a vibrant cultural and tourist hub.
“During the event a strong consensus emerged among the participants where most speakers expressed support for the idea, which was well-received by everyone in attendance. The collective agreement was clear in which the event should be established as a national annual tradition.”
She underscored, the impact of the Kapkugo festival on the local economy as significant in terms of economic empowerment where locals greatly benefited to get opportunity in selling food, products, and other locally made goods that created a flow of money within the community during the festival, which was appreciated by many in which local artisans and inventors showcased and sold their crafts, generating income for themselves.
There was also a temporary creation of jobs for locals in various areas such as construction, ground clearing, logistics, and ushering, giving members of the community a positive experience. Overall, the festival had a very beneficial impact, and the community truly felt its positive effects.
The Deputy Governor, appealed to both the county and national governments to continue supporting the Kapkugo festival this is through finding ways to allocate budget for the event, where for it to be sustainable they need a permanent budget allocation within both the county and national budgets that will ensure if they receive donations from partners, it will have a reliable starting point for the event.
“As we aim to make this event an annual tradition, we appeal to both the national and county governments to consider building a cultural center to preserve and promote our local heritage. This center will play a crucial role in preserving our culture and serve as an educational space for our youth, as well as for the many visitors who come to experience our heritage and also permanent buildings that will stand as a cultural hub for generations to come that will be a place to celebrate and preserve the heritage of the ten Kalenjin sub-tribes”.
Joseph Kachenge Ngomat, former Councilor and civic leader, commended the organizers of this event, stating, “First of all, I want to acknowledge the excellent work by the people who organized this festival. We want it to continue every December, especially here in Mount Elgon, which holds special significance as the origin of this cultural heritage.”
Ngomat emphasized the importance of unity brought about by the festival, saying, “This event has brought together our brothers and sisters from various communities. It’s a beautiful way to strengthen bonds, as the Bible reminds us in Psalms 133:1—’How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.'”
He also made an appeal to the government, urging for initiatives that would preserve and promote local culture. “When the missionaries introduced education, our people began to lose touch with their traditions. My appeal to the government is to develop programs that prioritize and emphasize our cultural heritage,” he said.
