KERICHO. 



TT'ERICHO, situated between the Lumbwa and situation. 

 -*-^ Sotik country, about 20 miles south-west of 

 lyumbw^a Station, though not a separate administrative 

 area, is nevertheless distinct from the neighbouring 

 w'hite settlements of Lumbwa, Fort Ternan, Koru and 

 Sotik, as regards soil, vegetation and climate. It is 

 probably less known than some of the districts men- 

 tioned because of the smaller number of fanns under 

 European cultivation, and the large areas of Crown 

 lands lying waste, or only sparsely populated by 

 natives. As considerable portions of this presenth' 

 waste land should become available for settlement 

 later on, Kericho is well deserving of attention from 

 the new comer. 



The country is more like Kikuyu than any other TOPOGRAPHY. 

 of the well known districts, in that it consists of 

 rolling hills of immensely deep red soil, intersected by 

 frequent rapid streams lying in narrow forest clad 

 valleys. The altitude is also about the same as that of 

 Kikuyu — 6,500 to 7,000 feet — but the rainfall is 

 greater and better distributed, and is further distin- 

 guished by the rarity of rain occurring before noon, as 

 is perhaps generally the case on the western slopes 

 of the Mau. On account of the rain falling in the 

 afternoon, Kericho may have earned an undeserved 

 reputation for exceeding wetness, from the 

 fact that travellers from the' Station arrive here 

 in the afternoon. The good rainfall, is, on the con- 

 trary, a great asset to the planter — the mornings being 

 dry, work is not unduly interrupted — and on account 

 of this well distributed rainfall, growth is most prolific 

 and planting greatly facilitated. 



It is almost obvious that at this altitude, with its CUMATE. 

 cool nights (the annual mean temperature is 51.5) 

 fever is quite unknown, and the district is second to 

 none in the country from the health point of view. 

 And yet this climate, which permits of Europeans 

 working out-of-doors all day, has now been proved 

 to be suitable to coffee, in spite of the doubts cast 

 upon the enterprise in its early stages. As might be 

 expected, coffee comes into full bearing rather later 

 than in more tropical climates — at 37:2 years old from 

 seed it only bears a small crop, but in the following 



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