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The #Talai clan of the Kalenjin (Nandi, Kipsigis, Tugen and poss. Marakwet) have long been feared by the rest of the community. People don’t often talk about them. Members of the clan also don’t often reveal that detail. I recently discovered that this started with #colonialism.
The #Talai were the 19th century rulers of the group that was later called Kalenjin. We were taught in primary school history lessons about Kimnyolei and how he foretold the arrival of the railway ‘a long snake that puffs in its head that would cut through the land.’
He warned the Nandi (sub-tribe of the Kalenjin) about it. When British settlers arrived, Kimnyolei had been killed (by the Nandi) and his last son Koitalel arap Samoei was the new leader. He led the Nandi Resistance to colonial rule. It lasted more than a decade.
