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Athletes, relatives, and friends assemble at Eldoret Hospital morgue to retrieve the body of Kelvin Kiptum, the World Marathon record holder.
The body will be escorted in an 80km procession from Eldoret through Iten to his parents’ home in Kipsamo village, Elgeyo Marakwet county.
During the funeral program, athletes are slated to accompany the hearse for approximately half a kilometer through Eldoret town.
Barnabas Korir, an official from Athletics Kenya, expresses readiness to accord Kiptum a hero’s farewell in cooperation with the family.
Upon arrival in Iten town, residents will have the opportunity to pay respects to the athlete’s body around 1 pm.
A procession and candle lighting ceremony in honor of Kiptum drew hundreds of Eldoret residents and athletes from the Eldoret Arboretum to Nandi Park the previous night.
The body will then be transported to a local church in Kipsamo for a brief service, viewing, and night vigil ahead of the main funeral service and burial scheduled for the following day.
President William Ruto, along with local and international guests, is expected to attend the funeral service at Kipsamo Primary School on Friday.
Following the service, the body will be conveyed another 15 kilometers to Kiptum’s new home in Naiberi for final burial rites.
Construction of the athlete’s new house at his farm in Naiberi, Uasin Gishu county, is underway following President Ruto’s directive.
Engineers and laborers are working tirelessly to complete the home before Thursday’s removal of the body from Eldoret Hospital morgue.
Kiptum’s untimely demise in a road accident nearly two weeks ago has deeply saddened the Chepsamo village farming community.
His mother, Mary Kangongo, fondly recalls his jovial nature, reminiscing about their last conversation where he was joking about the Africa Cup of Nations final, as reported by the BBC.
