National Shrines in Kericho
Tulwap Kipsigis Hill: A Nexus of Origin
Kericho has its fair share of impressive rolling hills, rising with open country and patches of woodland, which the intrepid should be on the lookout for. One of its more impressive, towering along the B1 Mau Summit-Kericho-Nakuru Road, near Londiani, is the 2600 ms Tulwap-Kipsigis Hill, an extension of the Mau Complex. Simply known as the Tulwap, its unrepeatable place under the limelight fame is as a nexus of dispersal for the native Kipsigis community. Still and all, it has retained its singular cultural sway since way back when and is traditionally used as a shrine
Occasionally, Kipsigis elders gather here for rituals, like circumcision and sacrifice. Yet, it is its past that most thrilling! As the saga tells, the British colonial authorities liked to call it Mount Blackett, while the local community preferred simply to call it Tulwap-Kipsigis Hill. So regarded was Tulwap Kipsigis Hill in the Kipsigis social and religious life that the colonial government opted in 1905 to ban all ceremonies conducted on the hill. The reason was that the ceremonies and worship of Asiis were interfering with the “efficient” operations of the colonial administration, as the people were negatively influenced. Eventually, it retained its original monicker.
The isolated Tulwap, clad in thick tropical forest, is more impressive for its cultural significance than a hiking destination, ergo Tulwap Kipsigis Hill was the gateway of the community to their present home counties of Kericho and in Bomet, just as Mount Elgon was the gateway of the Kalenjin Group as a whole into modern day Kenya, during their migration down via the Nile Valley. From 2019 Myoot Kipsigis Council of Elders begun planting trees around this esteemed landmarks. To date, more 2,000 indigenous trees have been planted around Tulwap Kipsigis, in order to reclaim its heritage. The area covering over 900 acres is gazetted as a sacred place for the community, and is used for hiking, leisure, prayers and circumcision.
Shrines – big and small – hold significant religious, historical, or political import and serve as symbols of identity, remembrance, and reverence. These sites also play important roles in preserving Kenya’s collective memory, fostering unity, and promoting patriotism: Places of reflection and commemoration for sacrifices and achievements made by past generations, and honored for future prosperity.
Index of National Shrines in Kenya
Baringo County - Kolloa Cross Shrine, Homa Bay County - Tom Mboya Mausoleum, Kakamega County - The Muliro Gardens, Kericho County - Gurdwara Sahib, Kericho Wagon Works, Tulwap Kipsigis Hill, Kiambu County - Travellers Chapel, Scott Watson Memorial Church, Kilifi County - Mekatilili wa Menza Shrine, Ronald Ngala Mausoleum, Kitui County - Museve Shrine, Mombasa County - The Swaminarayan Indian Temple, Johann Krapf Memorial Shrine, Nairobi County - Resurrection Garden, Jomo Kenyatta Mausoleum, Mashujaa Monument, City Park, Uhuru Gardens, Nakuru County - Marian Shrine, Nandi County - Mberere Holy Springs, Kabiyet Shrine, Nyeri County - African Bible on the Ground Shrine, Dedan Kimathi Trench, The Mau Mau Post Office, Irene Nyaatha Shrine, Meru County - Kaaga War Memorial, Muranga County - Wangu Wa Makeri Shrine, Mukurwe Wa Nyagathanga Shrine, Tana River County - Mau Mau Hola Memorial Monument, Uasin Gishu County - Alexander Kipsang Muge Mausoleum, Wajir County - Wagalla Memorial Monument, Vihiga County - Chabuga Mausoleum
outlook
Located in southwestern part of Kenya within the former Rift Valley Province, Kericho County, a healthful highland, has innumerable picture-postcard tea-farm vistas. Kericho County is famous for its vast tea plantations. It is all around a tea-riffic countryside clutching traditions and culture with one hand and a forward-looking yen on the other. It is home to large forests, historic sites and resorts, too.
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Explore Destinations Nearby Tulwap Kipsigis Hill
A Guide to Kericho County
A Summa Digest of Kericho
About Kericho Way Back When
35 Destinations in Kericho County, arranged as one would visit these - east, north, south then west - with aid of narratives, images, strip maps and distance chart:
Mau Forest Reserve, Chereres Waterfalls, A.I.C Kericho, Chesumot Estate, Chagaik Arboretum, Chesumot Dam, Kimugu River Lodge, James Finlays Tea Factory, Dimbolil Dam, The Sacred Heart Cathedral, A.C.K Kericho, Kericho Golf Club, Gurdwara Sahib, Kericho Wagon Works, Kericho Tea Hotel, Chebown Sanctuary, Chelimo Arboretum, Tagabi Monkey Sanctuary, Changoi Tea Estate, Chebulu Conservancy, The Kiptui Falls, Kapkatet Kipsigis Cultural Museum, The Tulwap-Kipsigis Hill, Londiani-Koru-Awasi Route, Londiani Dam, Masaita Forest Station, KFC Hospitality Centre, Londiani Falls, Kimasian Railway Bridge, Kiminket Garden, Kipkelion Monastery, The Van Wicker's Cave, Fort Tenan Pre-Historic Site, Tinderet Mountain, Ole Soi Resort, Bagao Caves
Know More About Kericho County: Its Geography, Land-Use, Highlights, Population, Roads - including a distance chart, Airports, Climate & National Monuments
Generally speaking, Kericho County has favorable, temperate highland climate with moderate temperatures and reliable relief rainfall. The annual mean temperature ranges between 29oC and 10oC. The central part of the county, where tea is grown, receives the highest rainfall.
Kericho has an undulating topography, with the overall slope of the land being to the west – forming a hilly shelf between the Mau Hills and the lowlands of Kisumu.