Emily Chepchumba

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Emily Chepchumba is a popular love song by the Kalenjin musician Bamwai. It was written and recorded under Bamwai’s label and is sung in the Kipsigis dialect of the Kalenjin language. The song was inspired by a young Elgeiyo woman named Emily Chepchumba, whom Bamwai met in Kaptarakwa, Elgeiyo-Marakwet, Western Kenya, in 2004. She asked him to write a song about their love. The lyrics tell of two lovers separated by a long distance who long to meet again. The homes of Bamwai and Emily are about 250 kilometers apart, a detail that reflects social and economic differences.

The song became popular in Kenya and Uganda, especially among Kalenjin speakers, and remained a favorite in Kenyan pop culture. Kalenjin radio stations played it at the top of the charts for years. The song also gained attention when Kenyan athlete Ezekiel Kemboi danced to it after winning races at the 2011 World Championships in Daegu and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, linking it to Kalenjin pride in athletics.