I didn’t have anything grand planned for West Pokot County during my stay in Eldoret. Honestly, I was just curious about one thing: the Cemtech Clinkerization Plant in Sebit, a KSh 40+ billion industrial project launched by President Ruto in 2024. My plan? Drive there, snap several pictures, head back, and call it a day.
But the county had other ideas. What started as a routine drive turned into something unforgettable: jaw-dropping landscapes, lively towns, and moments that made me question why West Pokot County isn’t already a top travel destination.
The slogan says it’s “The Land of Hidden Treasures.” It turns out, they weren’t kidding.
Getting There: The Sibanga Route
If you’re heading to Kapenguria or beyond, skip Kitale and take the Sibanga route from Moi’s Bridge instead. It’s smooth, quiet, and filled with surprises. I even got a proper look at the other side of the famous Moi’s Bridge NCPB depot. I’d always thought it was just the huge silos (the ones built in 1992). But from this angle, you can see the full expanse: the gate, extra buildings, and even the other side of those towering cylinders.
Then came the Cherangani Hills and forest. Think Vast, green, and stretching endlessly into the horizon.
During our drive through Chematich and Kesegon, maize farms lined the road, most of them in harvest mode. Farmers had bundled maize stalks upright in neat clusters. Apparently, it helps the cobs dry faster while keeping them off the damp ground. It’s small, ingenious details like that that make rural Kenya so fascinating to me.
Welcome to West Pokot County
A few kilometers later, the border sign came into view: Welcome to West Pokot County. The Land of Hidden Treasures.
At first, we laughed. Hidden treasures? Really? But then, a few kilometers in, I started to get it.
It was also around here that I spotted my first signboard from the National Drought Management Authority (KDMA), a subtle hint that we were entering one of Kenya’s drier zones. Honestly, my expectations were low.
First Stop: Kapenguria Town
Like most Kenyans, I only knew Kapenguria because of the Kapenguria Six. That’s it. But this town is nothing like the old history books suggest. It’s big, lively, and much more developed than I ever expected. The streets are neat, the shops modern, and the town clearly wears its badge as the West Pokot headquarters with pride.
If you’re looking for things to do in West Pokot, this is a great starting point. Visit the Kapenguria Museum, which preserves Kenya’s struggle for independence and stories of the Mau Mau leaders imprisoned here. It’s one of the most underrated West Pokot attractions and is worth the stop before venturing deeper into the county.
So yes, that “hidden treasure” tagline was starting to make sense.
The Terrifyingly Beautiful Kamatira Descent
A few kilometers past Kapenguria lies one of the most thrilling road sections in West Pokot County: the Kamatira descent.
If you’ve followed my travel stories for a while, you know I have a soft spot for breathtaking landscapes, the kind I captured during my Nyeri–Eldoret trip in mid-November. Kamatira didn’t disappoint either.
Past Kapenguria, rolling hills unfold, dotted with farms, small homesteads, and patches of low-lying vegetation broken up by scattered trees. The Cherangani Hills now feel closer. Then come the road signs warning you it’s a blackspot zone, a loud (not subtle) reminder to check your brakes and ease off the accelerator.
Then suddenly, the road dips sharply downhill, twisting through the lush Kamatira Forest. It’s the kind of descent that makes you grip the seat tighter and whisper a prayer for the brakes. But between the nerves, the beauty of the hills and greenery steals your attention. Turns out, Kamatira is part of the Cherangani forest ecosystem, one of Kenya’s vital water catchment areas.
As we descended, I couldn’t help but think about the heavy trucks that tackle this slope every day, hauling clinker and other supplies. It’s no easy climb, and sure enough, we passed three trucks that had broken down while making their way uphill.
Chepareria: The Green Gem of West Pokot
Eighteen kilometers later, we entered Chepareria, and this is where the West Pokot hills start showing off.
Picture layers of green hills stacked one after another, their slopes dotted with terraced farms and small cultivated patches clinging to the sides. Along the road, vendors sell onions neatly packed in small nets, and now I finally know where they come from.
In the distance, a tall hill with a rocky crown rises above the valley like a watchtower, backed by an equally towering mountainous terrain in the far background. It goes by the name Murpus Hill and reminds me of Mt. Ololokwe in Samburu East: rugged, striking, and photogenic from several angles.
If you love landscapes, this area alone makes the drive worthwhile. It’s one of the most breathtaking West Pokot attractions, perfect for photography and short roadside stops.
It was market day in a small center past Chepareria town, and as you might have guessed, cows and goats were the main business of the day.
West Pokot gets hotter
Past Chepkorniswo, several kilometers from Chepareria, West Pokot begins to turn hotter and drier. At some point, the lush green slowly gives way to open plains, dotted with hardy shrubs and a few scattered trees. You still see green, rolling hills stretching along the far horizon. At another point, the road snakes through shrubby hills, hinting that the dry stretch isn’t endless after all.
The standout hill we spotted earlier now looms closer, its lengthier slope covered in a rich green blanket. In the distance, you can see the mountains that encircle the Sebit Clinkerization Plant, much like guarding it within their folds.
We also spotted a hill being dug out by excavators. Yes, Chinese contractors are at it again with their usual mix of audacity and machinery. Plus, the Kenyan government is heavy on road construction in this region (all the way from Chematich in Kitale), and the progress is hard to miss.
Sebit: The Industrial Giant in the Hills
Enter Sebit, home to the Cemtech Clinkerization Plant. As mentioned earlier, this was my main reason for the trip.
We stopped at a vantage point a little uphill to take it all in. The plant sits beautifully at the base of surrounding hills, its kilns and chimneys framed by nature. From afar, it almost looks like a futuristic structure dropped right into the wilderness. My travel partner even joked that the central tower looked like Megatron from Transformers, and honestly, she wasn’t far off.
There’s also this faint but steady buzz in the air, coming from the towering high-voltage pylons in Sebit. It’s not imagination but a phenomenon called corona discharge, a science-y way of saying electricity is humming through the air.
While there, I spoke with a local who mentioned that construction began back in 2019. If that’s accurate, then it took about four to five years to complete, a solid effort, considering the plant’s size and location.
So, what exactly happens here? Here’s the gist: clinker is the key ingredient in cement, made by heating limestone and clay at extremely high temperatures. Big cement players like Rhino and Simba send trucks here to collect it, before refining it into the cement that builds our homes, roads, and cities.
A conveyor belt stretches over the main road, connecting the plant to a limestone quarry on the opposite hill. It’s quite a sight that overdelivered to my expectations.
A quick souvenir stop
Before leaving Sebit for Ortum, we stopped by a small group of roadside traders selling handmade crafts. Their work instantly caught our eye: simple yet beautifully done. We ended up buying a few pieces: a traditional club, serving spoons, a kitchen mortar and pestle, and two decor items, all carved from wood.
The entire bundle cost us about KSh 1,000. In a Kenyan city, that would easily go for five times the price. Why not take a moment to buy one or two pieces whenever you visit this area? The craftsmanship is excellent, and your purchase goes a long way in supporting the local traders who rely on these sales for their livelihood.
Ortum: A Small Town With a Big View
We drove further to Ortum, a small yet scenic town nestled among enormous hills. I was honestly surprised it’s still this green, this far into West Pokot. I even spotted an irrigation project at the foot of one hill.
And to surprise you even more, locals farm extensively on the steep slopes behind Ortum town, with the onion farms standing out from the rest. Clearly, my perception of this place had been all wrong. What still puzzles me, though, is how they manage to transport their produce from those slopes. Maybe one day, I’ll get a local to explain that mystery.
There’s also a power substation here, which I suspect draws from the Turkwel Gorge Hydropower Plant about 80 kilometers north. It’s likely filled with step-down transformers serving the surrounding areas. Could it be the source of those buzzing pylons I mentioned earlier? I didn’t trace the line to confirm, but I’m willing to bet the Sebit Clinkerization Plant benefits from it.
We took a few pictures with the massive hills behind us before heading back to Eldoret.
The Journey Back to Eldoret
The drive back to Eldoret followed the same route, yet it somehow felt new. The scenery we’d left behind earlier now stretched out before us, offering a completely different perspective.
Videos and photos can only go so far when it’s about what makes West Pokot County beautiful. You have to be here to experience it: the silence, heat, hills, forest, winding roads, and the unexpected charm of towns like Kapenguria, Chepareria, and Ortum.
So if you’re ever in Eldoret wondering where to go next, take a day, grab a good camera, and head west, then north. Whether you’re chasing industrial marvels like Cemtech, forest adventures in Kamatira, or just soul-stirring scenery, you’ll find it here.
West Pokot may call itself the land of hidden treasures, but after this trip, I’d say it’s time those treasures stopped hiding.
Ezekiel Maina is the brains behind ContentGenics, where he pairs creativity and strategy to craft B2B and B2C content that real people love to read. He has written for brands like House Digest, iFoundries, Harmony Home Medical, Postaga, and BeamJobs, and covered topics like home improvement, real estate, freelancing, digital marketing, career growth, food & travel, automotive, durable medical equipment (DME), and Cannabis. By day, he’s crafting content, catching up with clients from his home office, lost in a good book, or occasionally chasing nature and greenery in another county. By late evening, he’s typically deep in a documentary rabbit hole on Netflix or YouTube.
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