28/08/2025
KIPCHAMBAI ARAAP TAPOOTUK AND KIPKWOPURIOT ARAAP RIIRO
Twin pillars of Koilonget Band
In the golden age of Kalenjin music, when songs were more than melodies but vessels of culture, history, and wisdom, two elders stood tall—Kipchamba Arap Tapotuk and Kipwompuryoot Arap Riiro. Together, they became the heart and spirit of the legendary Koilonget Band, nurturing a tradition that continues to inspire generations.
Kipchamba(in black sweater), Saweiyoot by age set, born in 1937 at Kapsirich village, was a gifted composer, singer, and guitarist who left behind nearly 1,200 songs spanning over half a century. His music was never about fame or money; it was about preserving the Kalenjin way of life. He sang of leadership, education, faith, love, environment, and cultural heritage, always reminding his fans that “It is always the quality of music that counts, not the quantity of what one sells.”
By his side was Arap Riiro, one of the senior-most members of Koilonget Band, a man Kipchamba often turned to when society’s questions became too complex to answer. A respected elder of the Chumo age-set and a son of the Kapkerichek clan, whose totem was the crested crane, Arap Riiro carried the weight of tradition with him. He hailed from Chapanyiny village in Chepalungu, Bomet, just across from Kipchamba’s native Kapsirich.
In the band, Araap Riiro’s role was unique. He did not just sing; he was the voice of memory and wisdom. His plaintive Ketupeet (Chepkesem) playing wove into Kipchamba’s melodies like an ancestral echo, grounding the songs in the soil of tradition. In both recorded and live performances, he could be heard narrating, clarifying, and even advising Kipchamba, so that music became not just entertainment but a community dialogue.
Their partnership was especially evident in the mid-2000s when the band recorded folk songs and videos. To Kipchamba, Riiro was not just a band member but a treasured consultant—a guardian of the oral tradition who could decode riddles
