Nick Salat’s mum: The woman who sold everything, legitimately, to feed her 10 children

Elizabeth Chepkoech was buried on Tuesday, December 28, at her matrimonial home in Bomet East. [Julius Chepkwony, Standard]

Elizabeth Chepkoech was a go-getter, an ingenious businesswoman who tried her hand at everything, legitimately, to feed her ten children, especially after her husband’s death in 1987.

Chepkoech is the mother of KANU Secretary-General Nick Salat.

She was laid to rest on Tuesday, December 28 at her matrimonial home in Siwot Village, Bomet East Sub-County in Bomet County. Her late husband, Isaac Salat, served as a Member of Parliament in the 1970s.

Trained as a teacher, Chepkoech expanded her income-generating ventures to agriculture, hospitality and transport sectors.

“Mama Elizabeth was an all-rounder,” her eulogy said.

“She was into farming; maize and coffee; transport, you name it, she was there. Whenever she saw a business opportunity, she would assess, and if viable, she would dive into it with zeal.

“She bought a truck that would go all the way to Chepalungu to buy maize and deliver it to Nakuru cereals. She took coffee to Kisii for processing and then sold it to coffee board.

“She had a supermarket in Sotik. She supplied milk to KCC. She was a great farmer, from cabbage to maize and beans.

“On poultry sector, she supplied chicken to Kisumu and eggs around Sotik and Bomet. In her farm, one would find everything. Whenever her children came visiting, they would go back with what they called ‘relief’ (food). She ran Club 181 Hotel in Sotik and Longisa.

“If you are wondering how she managed to see her children through school, there goes your answer.”

By the time Chekpoech’s spouse was dying in 1987, her children, Nick Salat and Madge Salat, were pursuing their undergraduate degrees in Canada.

Another child, Stone Salat, was in India while Edwin, the fifth born, was studying at a Kenyan college, with the rest in primary and secondary schools.

Chepkoech knew she had to play both the mother and father roles to see her children through school.

Her burial on Tuesday was attended by, among others, KANU chairperson Gideon Moi, Nominated MP Wilson Sossion, among others.

KANU chairman Gideon Moi (R) having a word with Nick Salat during Mama Elizabeth Chepkoech’s burial in Bomet East. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Chekoech died on December 21, 2021.

(Additional reporting by Julius Chepkwony)