Kogo Basilisa steals Mashujaa Day show at Kipchoge Keino Stadium

At 79, retired teacher Basilisa Singoei, popularly known as Kogo Basilisa, stole the show during Mashujaa Day celebrations at the 15,000-seat Kipchoge Keino Stadium in Eldoret, captivating the crowd with energetic dance moves that showcased Kenya’s rich cultural heritage.

The performer, who hails from Kamagut in Uasin Gishu County, drew cheers as she knelt, rose and spun with remarkable ease while performing the traditional hit song Rera, demonstrating a level of agility that belied her age.

“I am from Kamagut location in Uasin Gishu, Tarbo constituency. I am a retired teacher. I retired the other day, in 2002. I taught for 34 years. I retired at 55 years old. When the music is in my blood, I dance, and I give the best dance that my mother showed me,” she said.

Kogo Basilisa’s performance shifted the spotlight from the region’s celebrated athletes to cultural performers whose music and dance help preserve Kenya’s traditions.

Behind her were members of her group, Sisto Cultural Dancers, alongside other performers selected through auditions organised by the Permanent Presidential Music Commission (PPMC). The selection process brought together artists from the three counties co-hosting the national celebrations: Uasin Gishu, Nandi and Elgeyo Marakwet.

The celebrations marked the first time Mashujaa Day had been held in the region since independence, giving local artists a national platform to showcase their cultural heritage to a wider audience.

Kogo Basilisa, who retired from teaching in 2002 after 34 years in the profession, said music had remained a source of happiness and an avenue for connecting with younger generations.

She began singing in 2016 and has since continued to perform, using traditional music and dance to bridge generational gaps.

“Music is something nice. Music makes me so happy. Music makes me to join the young men, women and the young generation,” she told Citizen Digital.

Her group’s name also reflects the traditions she seeks to preserve. According to Kogo Basilisa, Sisto refers to a light traditionally used when harvesting honey, with the fire helping to drive bees away.

“The name of my group is Sisto Cultural Dancers. Sisto means the light, and this light is always taken when you want to harvest honey. When you want to harvest honey, you don't go bare hands. You go with the sisto. You light, bring that fire, and then the bees go away. You harvest the honey,” she explained.

Beyond the cultural performances, the celebrations also highlighted infrastructure development in the North Rift region, including the construction of modern sporting facilities.

The Kipchoge Keino Stadium, which hosted the national celebrations, is being developed with the involvement of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). The military is also involved in the construction of Kamariny Stadium in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kabarnet Stadium in Baringo County and Kapsabet Stadium in Nandi County.

The projects are intended to expand access to modern sporting facilities for training and competition while supporting the region’s established athletics talent.

Once completed, Kipchoge Keino Stadium is expected to provide a modern venue for athletes after the previous grounds fell into disuse and were at times used for grazing and drying maize.

For Kogo Basilisa, however, the Mashujaa Day celebrations offered an opportunity to demonstrate that talent has no age limit and that cultural performers also have a place on the national stage.

She urged people not to abandon their abilities because of age, crediting the PPMC and the decision to host the celebrations in Uasin Gishu for helping her gain wider recognition.

“I tell my people, things are never late… God's time is the best. Being old does not matter, provided you have that talent. PPMC has made me to be known, in fact, all over the world. Because I get phones from abroad, young people ring me, young people greet me from Canada, from America. Young people like you, they tell me I am doing something good,” she said.

She also thanked the commission and President William Ruto for bringing the national celebrations to Uasin Gishu, saying the event had created an opportunity for her talent to reach a wider audience.