Elgeyo people

The Elgeyo (also known as Keiyo) are an ethnic group that is part the larger Kalenjin ethnic group of nilotic origin. They live near Eldoret, Kenya in the highlands of the Keiyo District. The Elgeyo subsist mainly on grain; and the milk, blood and meat provided by their cattle, sheep and goats. The Elgeyo moved away from the eastern grazing lands of the Great Rift Valley during the expansion of the Maasai tribe. The loss of much of their grazing lands forced them to reduce their herds and rely more on agriculture.

Due to population growth over time, the Keiyo community gradually moved and settled in urban areas to do business in major urban centers including Eldoret town where they are now actively engaged in businesses alongside the Marakwets, Nandis and other non-Kalenjins.

The name Keiyo or Elgeyo has been used interchangeably to describe the Keiyo people. The latter name being disputed as a corruption of the former true name, which resulted from the Uasin-Gishu Maasai who were the neighbours of the Keiyo in the mid 19th century at the western side of Eldoret, being a word coined by them.