The burial of marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum has been moved from Saturday, February 24, to Friday, February 23 to enable President William Ruto to attend.
Explaining the move, a family spokesperson remarked that this was to align with President Ruto’s calendar/
Kiptum’s family noted that the President would be flying out to Namibia on Saturday although the information was not confirmed by State House.
“It will be a State function and the President will be in attendance. However, the date was changed from February 24 to 23 because the president will be available on that day. on Saturday he will be flying out to Namibia, to attend their late president's funeral," The family spokesperson explained.
It had earlier been announced that the deceased would be accorded state honors and be laid to rest on Saturday, February 24, at his native home in Chepkorioon.
President Ruto has been dedicated from the onset to ensuring a perfect send-off for the Kenyan marathoner who died in a road accident on Monday, February 12.
In a statement, Ruto had mourned Kiptum as an extraordinary sportsman who had left an indelible mark on the world.
“He was only 24 yet, as a hero, triumphed in Valencia, Chicago, London and other top competitions. Kiptum was our future,” he eulogized moments after Kenya received news of the athlete's untimely death." Ruto mourned.
He further fulfilled Kiptum’s last wish which was to build a house before his death. the president deployed engineers to the late Kiptum's home where they were to construct the house funded by the government.
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