Kericho is the largest town in Kericho County, located in the highlands west of the

Kenyan Rift Valley The Great Rift Valley is part of an intra-continental ridge system that runs through Kenya from north to south. It is part of the Gregory Rift, the eastern branch of the East African Rift, which starts in Tanzania to the south and continues no ...

. Positioned on the edge of the

Mau Forest Mau Forest is a forest complex in the East African Rift, Rift Valley of Kenya. It is the largest indigenous montane forest in East Africa. The Mau Forest complex has an area of . The forest area has some of the highest rainfall rates in Kenya. Ma ...

, Kericho benefits from a warm and temperate climate, making it good for agriculture, especially large scale tea cultivation. The town is strategically located along Kenya's western tourism circuit with access to Lake Victoria, the Maasai Mara National Reserve and Ruma National Park. Teapickers-near-kericho

Etymology

The etymology of Kericho is uncertain. One theory suggests it that it was named after the region's first hospital, built by the colonial British at the start of the 20th century, referencing the Kipsigis word , for medicine. Another theory proposes the name derives from a local medicine man called Kipkerich or from a Maasai chief, Ole Kericho who was killed in the 18th century by the Abagusii.

History

Kericho was founded by British settlers in 1902. It hosts Africa's largest

Sikh Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Si ...

Gurudwara and the second largest Catholic cathedral in Kenya. The Gurdwara Sahib, built on the site of the home and workshop of Kericho Wagon Works founder Sant Baba Puran Singh Ji of Kericho, is now a place of worship for the Sikh community and a museum

gazette A gazette is an official journal, a newspaper of record, or simply a newspaper. In English and French speaking countries, newspaper publishers have applied the name ''Gazette'' since the 17th century; today, numerous weekly and daily newspapers ...

d by the

Government of Kenya The Government of the Republic of Kenya (GoK) is the Central government, national government of the Kenya, Republic of Kenya located in East Africa. It is composed of Counties of Kenya, 47 Counties, each county with its own semi-autonomous gove ...

as a place of spiritual significance. It is dedicated to the memory of Sant Baba Puran Singh Ji, founder of the international charitable organization, Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha which promotes the spirit and practice of selfless service ("nishkam sewa") in the name of

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...

Dev Ji, the founder of the

faith. Chandarana Records a pioneer of Benga music and the Kenyan music recording industry is based in Kericho town. Sports Kericho is known for producing Olympic-winning long-distance athletes and hosts Zoo Kericho F.C. a football club competing in the

Kenyan Premier League The Kenyan Premier League (KPL), officially known as the FKF Premier League, is a professional league for men's football clubs in Kenya. Standing at the top of the Kenyan football league system, the league was formed in 1963 under the Kenya Foo ...

and Kericho R.F.C. competing in the Nationwide League. Points of Interest Key attractions include Chagaik Arboretum, Chelimo Arboretum, Tagabi Arboretum, Uhuru Garden and the vast scenic tea estates.

Geography

Kericho is reputed to hold the record for the highest number of hail occurrences in a year, either at 132 days with hail or 113 days in 1965. Kericho has up to 50 days of hail each year, but large hail is rare.

Population

As of the 1999 census, the town had a population of 150,000. Kericho is the home town of the Kipsigis, a subgroup of the Kalenjin people.

Government

Kericho town
is the administrative headquarters of Kericho county, which consists up of six constituencies/sub-counties: Bureti, Belgut, Ainamoi, Soin/ Sigowet, Kipkelion East, and Kipkelion West.

Transport

Kericho is accessible by road through the B1 road (Kenya) that links Mau-Summit, Kericho to

Kisumu Kisumu ( ) is the third-largest city in Kenya located in the Lake Victoria area in the former Nyanza Province. It is the second-largest city after Kampala in the Lake Victoria Basin. The city has a population of slightly over 600,000. The ...

and Busia. In addition, the C25 Kapsoit-Sondu road connects Kericho to the A1 road linking Isebania to Lokichoggio through Kisumu and Kitale. The Nakuru-Kisumu railway line passes through Kericho County with railway stations at Mau Summit, Londiani, Kedowa, Lumbwa, Kipkelion and Fort Ternan. Fort Ternan was previously used as a halfway point for passenger and goods trains between

Nakuru Nakuru (nicknamed Nax) is a city in the Rift Valley region of Kenya. It is the capital of Nakuru County, and it is the fourth largest city in Kenya and the largest in the Rift Valley region. As of 2019, Nakuru had an urban population of 570, ...

and Kisumu. Private airstrips operated by tea estates are used primarily for crop spraying.

Communication and media

Kericho town has access to high-speed fiber-optic Internet connection, fixed line, and mobile telecommunications. Local FM radio stations includin
Kass FM

Chamgei FMKBC Kitwek FMRadio Injili
, Sayare Radio
Light and Life FM
Sema Radio and The Just FM.

Tertiary education

Kericho hosts several educational institutions offering certificate, diploma and degree courses, including: *

University of Kabianga The University of Kabianga is located in Kabianga, Belgut constituency, Kericho county in Kenya. The university is situated in the Kabianga Complex, along with the Kabianga Boys High School and Primary School as well as the Kabianga Tea Farm. ...

* Kenya Highlands Evangelical University run by the Africa Gospel Church * Kenyatta University * The University of Nairobi * Kericho Teachers Training College offers degree courses under agreement with Moi University * Kenya Forestry College situated in Londiani run by Kenya Forest Service (KFS). * Eland College run jointly by Kabarak University and Eland Schools * Mospen Institute of Development Studies(MIDS) * African Institute of Research and Development Studies (AIRADS) * Nishkam Saint Puran Singh Institute (NSPSI) * Kericho Technical Institute * Kericho School of Professional Studies * Kenya Institute of Management *Rift Valley Institute of Business Studies *Kenya Medical Training College

Secondary education

Kericho is home to: 1.Litein High School, 2.Taita Towett Boys High School, 3.Kipkelion Girls High school, 4.Kapsoit high school, 5.Kabianga Boys High School, 6.Kericho High school, 7.Moi Tea Secondary, 8.Kipsigis Girls High School, 9.Cheptenye Boys High School, 10.Kericho Tea Boys, 11.Tengecha schools 12. Moi Sitotwet 13. Getumbe Secondary school 14. Poiywek Secondary School 15. Kericho Day Secondary school 16. Kipchimchim Secondary school 17. Kaptebeswet secondary school 18. Kabianga Girls High School and others

Religion

Kericho is home to followers of the Africa Gospel Church, Full Gospel Church,

Seventh-day Adventists The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week in the Christian (Gregorian) and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabba ...

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

Sikhs Sikhs (singular Sikh: or ; , ) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term ''Sikh'' ...

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

, African Inland Church,

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a Christian denomination that is an outgrowth of the Bible Student movement founded by Charles Taze Russell in the nineteenth century. The denomination is nontrinitarian, millenarian, and restorationist. Russell co-fou ...

and

Anglicans Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

Notable people

* Dr. Taitta Toweett, gave name to Taita Towett High School. * Joseph Cheruiyot arap Chewen * Joginder Singh * Hannington Apudo, the first indigenous military pilot in the

Kenya Air Force The Kenya Air Force (KAF) or is the national aerial warfare service branch of the Republic of Kenya. The main airbase operating fighters is Laikipia Air Base in Nanyuki, while Moi Air Base in Eastleigh, Nairobi is the headquarters. Other ba ...

. * Wilson Kiprugut * Moses Kiprono arap Keino * Joyce Chepchumba * Edwin Soi * Kipngeno arap Ng'eny *

David Kimutai Too David Kimutai Too (August 23, 1968 – January 31, 2008) was a Kenyan politician affiliated to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). He was a high school teacher and then a principal from Kericho in Rift Valley, Kenya before being elected to the ...

* Ayub Kiprotich Siele, the longest serving mayor of Kericho. *

Ruth Chepng'etich Ruth Chepng'etich (often spelled Ruth Chepngetich, born 8 August 1994) is a Kenyan road runner who is the current women's world record holder in the marathon, with a time of 2:09:56 set at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. She is the 2019 world cham ...

, a road runner. * Michael Madoya (born 1989), footballer

References

{{Coord, 00, 22, 09, S, 35, 17, 02, E, region:KE_type:adm2nd_source:nlwiki, display=title Kericho County Populated places in Rift Valley Province County capitals in Kenya