Modern ethnicities Diaspora Performing arts Government agencies Television Radio Newspapers The Marakwet are one of the groups forming the ethnolinguistic Kalenjin community of Kenya, they speak the Markweta language.
It is bounded to the east by the Kerio River at 1000 m above sea level, which runs through a small branch of the Great Rift Valley.
Significant populations of individuals of Marakwet heritage are also resident in the Trans Nzoia, and Uasin Gishu counties, as well as in other towns in Kenya.
A large majority of Marakwet lead a simple rural life characterized by mixed small scale farming.
There is a sophisticated pre-historic irrigation furrow system that supports this crop cultivation along the Kerio Valley that is thought to be over 500 years old.
The Marakwet people consist of five distinct territorial groups that, "forged some form of association through their common residence along the Kerio Valley and the Cherangani Hills".
From north to south along the valley are, the Endoow, Markweta and Almoo, in the hills are, the Borokot and Cherang'any (Sengwer or Kimaala).
[4] Cutting across the territorial groups are thirteen patrilineal clans, each of which (with the exception of Sogom) is divided into two or more exogamic sections distinguished by totems.
War between them ended in the year 2000, marked by the killing of 47 people in Murkutwa Marakwet, 26 km east of Chesoi.
Marakwets also take cereals [maize, millet and sorghum] to the Pokots in the Kolowo and Kimnai markets in exchange for cash.