Our journey

Songs we brought with us

Language and music travelled with the first families and are the part of home most easily lost in a generation. These are recordings of the older tradition — among them Kipchamba arap Tapotok, whose songs many of our elders grew up on.

The running tribe

The Kalenjin are known worldwide for long-distance running. From a small share of Kenya's population has come a wholly disproportionate number of world-class athletes, and since the 1960s Kalenjin runners have taken Olympic medals, world titles and major marathons in numbers no other community can match.

The reasons offered are partly physiological — a suggested predisposition toward endurance, including a higher proportion of slow-twitch muscle fibre and more efficient oxygen use, and a lifetime of training at Rift Valley altitude — and partly cultural. Semi-nomadic herding moved livestock over long distances and built endurance from childhood; many children still cover several kilometres to school and back on foot. The warrior tradition prized discipline, resilience and a competitive streak, and the mental toughness that endurance racing runs on. A traditional diet heavy in complex carbohydrates and lean protein did the rest. Running here was never only a sport.

• Kipchoge Keino — Gold in the 1500m at the 1968 Olympics and the 3000m steeplechase in 1972, alongside Olympic silvers and world records — the pioneer every Kenyan runner since has measured themselves against.
• Wilson Kipketer — Of Nandi origin, later competing for Denmark; dominated the 800m and set multiple world records over the distance.
• Moses Kiptanui — A steeplechaser who set multiple world records through the 1990s.
• Paul Tergat — A former marathon world record holder and multiple World Cross Country champion.
• Eliud Kipchoge — Among the greatest marathoners of all time, and the first person to run the distance in under two hours — in an unofficial event, so it stands outside the record books.

Our community in Canada continues that legacy. You will often find our members running — and winning — local marathons across Alberta and British Columbia, and the athletics day each August is its clearest inheritance: three generations on the same grass track, and the same argument every year about who actually won the 400.

The early settlers

The story of the Kalenjin diaspora in Canada is one of resilience, ambition, and a deep-rooted commitment to community. The earliest migrations began in the late 20th century, primarily driven by students seeking higher education and professionals pursuing new opportunities in North America.

Arriving in a landscape dramatically different from the equatorial highlands of Kenya, these early pioneers faced the bitter cold of Canadian winters, but brought with them the warmth of the sotet — a symbol of sharing, sustenance, and unity.

Formation of SetCan

As numbers grew, especially in cities like Edmonton and Calgary, the need for a formal organization became apparent. Families needed a support system, children needed a connection to their ancestral language, and the community needed a unified voice.

SetCan was formally registered as a non-profit in November 2010. What started as informal gatherings over tea and chapati in living rooms blossomed into an organization that now brings together more than a hundred members across the province.

Our vision for tomorrow

The next chapter belongs to the children who were born here. Our work now is to make sure they can name their grandparents' villages, greet an elder properly in Kalenjin, and still feel entirely at home in Alberta.