Speaking on Friday at Kiptum’s funeral service in Keiyo South, Elgeyo Marakwet County, President Ruto said the government would support Kiptum’s family in honour of the pride and glory the late marathoner brought the country.
In addition to securing employment for Kiptum’s widow Asenath Rotich, Ruto added that the bereaved wife would be provided with a new home and Ksh.5 million cash to support her young family of two children left behind by Kiptum.
This will be in addition to the two three-bedroomed houses the government constructed for the late marathoner and his father in a record one week.
“Huyu kijana tushampatia milioni tano tayari naserikali itampatia nyumba mzuri mbali na ile tumejenga hapa. Sasa tutampatia mjane wake,” said Ruto.
He went on, “Mama Asenath nitaketi chini na gavana wa hapa ili tukubaliane ile kazi itatoshana na huyu mama ile aweze kusimamia watoto wa kijana wetu mwanariadha Kelvin Kiptum.”
In his address at the funeral ceremony, President Ruto eulogised Kiptum as an “ambitious, disciplined and focused” sportsman.
The Head of State highlighted Kiptum’s humility, noting that he overcame all challenges facing him to become an icon.
“He had more reasons not to succeed than he had to succeed. But he worked against the odds. He could have said I come from a village that is not well known, or I come from a family that cannot cater for him or he does not have running shoes… you heard he ran barefoot in his earlier days. He didn’t see those as impediments to his ambition and his success,” said Ruto.
The President went on to challenge all Kenyans to borrow lessons from the late Kiptum.
“I say Kelvin even in his death is speaking to us as Kenyans that we may not have gold, we may not have so much… and that should not deter us from being the great country that we must be. All of us as the people of Kenya must love this country enough to be able, to make Kenya great,’ said Ruto.
The late Kiptum died in a road crash on Elgeyo Marakwet- Eldoret road. His Rwandan coach Gervais Hakizimana, 36, also died in the crash.
Hakizimana, who had trained Kiptum since 2019, was laid to rest in the Rwandan capital Kigali on Wednesday.
After the funeral ceremony on Friday, Kiptum was laid to rest in Naiberi, near Eldoret, where the government built a new home for his family.
