The story of Molos -The Egyptians did not find the water in Mogotio

Agrarian revolution made entry into Endorois Land back in 1974, but the region was still the hotbed of culture, and home of conservatives.

?Hostility to any western ideas was in fashion.

?James Cherono,born in 1952 and brought up in Molos within Mogotio did not like to stay at home any longer because hunger ,lack of water and biting poverty was all that life could offer.

During that time, going to school was not that popular at all because schooling, conman ship and prostitution was always mentioned in one sentence. Being a last born in a family of five, his vision in life was to own a herd of cattle, and loose his parents from the shackles of poverty.

Girls of that era would only marry a man based on the size of his herd.

?At the tender age of 12 years,he run away from home to earn a living near Emining.He later relocated to another home in Kures and become a Christian by attending Kures Aic Church. That was in the year 1971.A family of Kaptarei hosted him ,and taught him about a certain Heavenly Man called Jesus Christ- somehow believed to be a Savior.

?When he returned home to start a family in early 70s, traditional beer was still the greatest entertainment in Molos, all the way to Kamar and Kamurian villages. Intoxicated men without underneath clothes often engaged in wrestling matches, but nothing brought a bigger smile into their faces than those impending circumcision ceremonies.

?They were so popular like the Samba dances of Rio De Jeneiro. You would not want to miss one. Even in old age and from far away villages, patrons of real Endorois blood always arrived at sun sets with their dusty feet, very exhausted but wearing a big smile on their sweaty faces.

They could travel from as far as a place called Nyalilbuch, just to bear witness to the son or a daughter of their kin making that grand entry into adulthood.

?Cherono decided to find an alternative life in Loboi because according to him, constant drunken orgies in Molos were not a good environment for a Christian to thrive and finally enter the long awaited Jerusalem City. All his age mates were drunkards and his life in Molos was like that of Lot living in the city of Gomorrah .He therefore decided to run to Loboi where he made a mistake and narrowly escaped a curse from the Endorois Elders of that time.

?‘’I had visited my sister in Loboi and realized that Loboi could support irrigation farming and apart from maize, I decided to cultivate pumpkins in my garden, and my Endorois clansmen got a chance to see pumpkins for the first time and word spread like a bush fire. Many women visited my shamba not only to buy vegetables, but to see the pumpkins’’ Cherono told IRK. His move to create water ducts to lead water from a nearby swamp into his shamba never impressed the Endorois conservatives.

?His shamba was located in modern day Kiborgoch Conservancy and elders from as far as Sandai thought it is wise to evict James Cherono, because his Pumpkins and water ducts spelled doom and a curse to the Endorois Livestock. Remember this, it was that era when many pastoral communities including the Endorois never allowed one to eat anything green ,and drink milk at the same time. It was an abomination.

?The then Paramount Chief Changole got report that a certain man is planting strange crops at Loboi and to stop the wrangling and prevent possible harm to him, the wise old man decided to send Cherono all the way to Sabatia Forest ,to work as Forest guard under a Mr Kituyi from Naitiri in Western Kenya. Maybe Naitili village in Sabatia is named after him. While waiting for his confirmation letter in Sabatia Forest station, he regularly attended church at Solian and Kirobon Aic, taught Sunday school and at the same time attending adult classes then known as Gumbaru.

?‘’Former Morop Girls High school Principal Eunice Kiptuisang and I taught Sunday schools within Solian and even saw former Governor of Baringo His excellency Kiptis attend Sunday in the same region, but in the Full Gospel church’’ Cherono reminisced the past but now, he decided to act ‘foolishly’ again. His confirmation letter to work as forest guard arrived but he turned it down because as he puts it, he had then discovered that his Mission in life was to save his Molos people from drunkenness, ignorance, poverty and un Godly cultural practices such as the FGM.

?''My boss Kituyi was very disturbed by my decision to work for Christ and not the Forest department. He thought it was unwise to turn down a job that would give me a salary. He tried to no avail to convince me to change my mind'' Cherono recounts to IRK.

?Current Central Rift AIC Bishop Willian Kotut was a young man that time but a fiery preacher of the Bible .He was almost in the league of the New Testament Apostles and through him and Former Ps Edward Sambili, who then lived in Kipkoriony, a place called Kaptana in Toniok –Eldama Ravine, the Gospel reached Molos for the first time but wait for a minute, they met stiff resistances from the conservatives who thought that the New message about Jesus Christ was a threat to the culture of marrying many wives, eating dead livestock and of course enjoying the Umkomboti African beer.

?‘’Former Paramount Chief Lotagis was the greatest threat to Evangelism within Kamar and my desire to bring civilization to my people’,Cherono told IRK while adding that Lotagis used his barazas not only to oppose the dawn of Christianity, but to oppose the then plans to launch Molos primary school because according to him, newly established Molos primary school would affect pupil populations in the 10km away neighboring Kamar primary school.

?Reportedly, Lotagis sensitized the locals about churches being dangerous platforms because locals would lose their wives to some con men. The false report about people losing their wives created so much tension in within Molos residents and the then newly established Aic Church.

‘’I donated my land to build the church and also Molos trading center, so that the locals can find a place to buy sugar and other basic needs. I then invited the first Principal of Eldama Ravine Bible school College to preach in Molos. He was a Chinese and I hosted him in my home for many days. The church changed the people and no one lost a wife’’ Cherono told IRK with a smile in his face adding that one time, he invited some Evangelists from Zaire to preach at Kamar livestock Market. By coincidence, Paramount Chief Lotagis was present when the preachers from Zaire entered Kamar in such a great style. The market came into a sudden standstill.

‘’They traveled from Nairobi using a big lorry and it was a sight to behold. They carried with them every kind of a Musical instrument and that day, Kamar was like Jerusalem during the day of Pentecost’’ Cherono revealed to IRK and then immediately, Paramount Chief Lotagis summoned him after the meeting. He encouraged him to carry on with the Gospel and that he Lotagis would not bother him anymore.

He Cherono then won many converts to advance the Ministry among them Richard Ruto now the Chaplain of Emining Boys High school, Joseph Cheboi of Molo sirwe AIC church and Moses Cheruiyot of Sandai Aic Church in Baringo South.

That time, Maji Moto was known as Ndoleta and Cherono and his team tried without success to establish a church there .The people of Ndoleta hated a faith that seemed to contradict African values such as curtailing their freedom to drink native beer and owning an harem of wives .With Molos warming up to education ,a new generation of Molosians emerged in the 1990s and the water scarcity become the major discussion in each an every baraza. Now an informed population, their cry for water reached the ears of then President Daniel Arap Moi, May his soul Rest in peace.

?Through him,an Egyptian drilling company started prospecting for water in Molos but midway, abandoned the mission citing a possibility that water cannot be found in Molos.Black volcanic rocks are everywhere in Molos.

?‘’We thought Molos is a God forsaken land because the Egyptians, the most powerful civilization and advanced in technology could in no way give a false report. We were wrong ‘’ Cherono who is now a preacher at Oterit Aic Church narrates to IRK .

?Courtesy of World Vision,a recent discovery of a massive water table has set this dry land into a new trajectory.Water availability is set to propel Molos into a new dispensation. The water will bring back home all the children of Molos who fled the region due to the perennial water scarcity.

Ironically, the water well was discovered in the Land of none other but James Cherono. When you set foot into his land ,stand near this water well, you feel the smell of Rain ,the smell of Life even when the sun is up.

?The selfless man who embodies hope for mankind, the Man who bore a Vision to save Molos has positively contributed to the cause of Humanity. Maybe for this reason he was born but remember, he never went to any school. Now the question, with our big education, powerful offices we occupy, cars we drive, money at our disposal, powerful connections wr have, What good thing have you done for Mankind? ?

?Our power to read has only empowered us to flee from our mother land Baringo, just because we believe that the problem of cattle rustling, floods, run away Chang'aa and tribal hatred is none of our business. We work and draw our salaries from Baringo County,but Are we not living and investing in Nakuru county?

?In Television and comfortable in our Nakuru homes, are we not among those watching Baringo dying slowly? With a smile in our faces, are we not the ones telling our children and grandchildren about how back ward Baringo County is?

?In a nutshell, the moral of this story -A successful human is not the one with a big salary and some English speaking kids, but the one who without expecting any profits or payment, moves out of his/her comfort zone to better the lives of people who are not his /her relatives or even known to him or her. A real human is him or her whose priority and Mission in Life is to positively change the life of others, even if it means sacrificing their own comforts.

?Let’s Evaluate our selves and either clap for ourselves or pity our 'educated Self’

?[email protected]

?

?

?

?