Thursday, December 24, 2009

What is in name?

Cheboin is the name of my clan and few individuals happen to carry it in each of our extended family.
'Korir' when translated from my Kipsigis means dawn. I was born at exactly 5 a.m hence the name Kipkorir; 'kip' being the prefix of every Kipsigis male's middle name.
My mother who went upto high school in her academic ladder saw it nice for me to have my first name as Kennedy, since at the period of my birth, the name of American President, John F. Kennedy was in everyone's mouth.
At the age of 14 my father 'gave' me his middle name, kiprotich to show his pride for me simply because I was brave enough to endure a painful process of circumcision and wrestling a wounded but fierce lion.
In high school, I was a good actor and before long I earned a name Mambo, a character in one of the very many plays I acted. That name stuck so much I almost wrote it in my final K.C.S.E papers.
Hence I am Kennedy Kipkorir Rotich alias Cheboin alias Mambo!