Kenya's President William Ruto has instructed engineers to build a three-bedroom house at the late Kelvin Kiptum's home. Kiptum, a marathon world record holder, had plans to construct a house for his family before he tragically died in a road accident last Sunday. The president's office clarified that the house doesn't need to be ready by Kiptum's funeral next week, despite some media reports suggesting otherwise. Excavations have already begun at the site, which is a four-acre farm located about 16km away from the family's current residence in the Rift Valley. The aim is to complete the house before the end of the 40-day mourning period following Kiptum's death. His funeral is scheduled for February 24th.
Kiptum, a 24-year-old father of two, lost his life when the car he was driving crashed into a ditch. His coach, Gervais Hakizimana, also died in the accident, while a woman passenger sustained injuries.
An investigation into the incident has been called for by the father of the deceased, stating that four unidentified men visited his son days before the accident. According to Reports, These said persons are currently in police custody for questioning. Kiptum's untimely death, occurring just four months after he broke the marathon world record, deeply saddened Kenya and the global athletics community. He had been preparing to make an attempt to run a marathon in under two hours at the Rotterdam marathon in April.