Ruto Orders Kelvin Kiptum 3-Bedroom House Built In 7 Days

President William Ruto on Thursday, February 15 deployed experts to the home of the late world marathon record holder, Kelvin Kiptum with specific instructions to build a three-bedroomed house in one week.

This was confirmed by Citizen TV's Mike Okinyi who revealed that Ruto had directed that the house be completed ahead of the athlete's burial on Saturday, February 24.

Once complete, the Head of State is expected to inspect the house before handing it over to Kiptum's widow and children before the deceased is laid to rest.

The late Kelvin Kiptum during a conversation with Sports CS, Ababu Namwamba in October 2023. /ABABU NAMWAMBA

"We had very special guests today visiting Kiptum’s family and they were sent by Dr William Ruto because they want to put in a house for him, they want to build a house for Kelvin Kiptum’s family and that’s a 3-bedroomed house that has to be ready before he is buried on the 24th.

"The engineers were on site today. The President says he wants to be in that house before this guy is sent off as a hero," Okinyi reported.

Furthermore, in effect of the directive, the engineers are expected to begin construction work on Friday following consultations between them and the family of the athlete yesterday.

The agenda of the Thursday discussions revolved around whether the house should be constructed at Kiptum's father's home or on land the athlete had bought.

Kiptum's last wish before dying in an accident on Sunday, February 11 was to build a home for his family. According to his wife, Asenath Jeruto, the athlete had already drafted his architectural plans for the dream house which was approved by the county government.

"We had very many good plans with my husband. Even in April, I was to go with with to the Rotterdam Marathon. The house was to be done in June and we planned to move out after that.

"He also had plans to open a business for me because I am a stay-at-home mom," she stated.

Ruto's order came notably after the Cabinet resolved to give the late athlete a befitting send-off, given that he set a new world record of 2:00:35 in Chicago, USA in October 2023.

Sharon Kosgey Who Survived Kiptum Accident Speaks

Meanwhile, the only survivor of the grisly road accident, Sharon Kosgey, recorded her statement with the police amidst ongoing investigations into what actually caused the accident.

While revealing the last moments of the crash that also claimed the life of Kiptum's coach, Gervais Hakizimana, Kosgey revealed that the vehicle was in good condition and had not experienced any hitches till the moment of the crash. 

In her statement, she indicated that she had warned Kiptum, who was driving at the time, that the vehicle was veering off the road, but the warning came too late when Kiptum was unable to steer the vehicle back onto the road

Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officers investigating the incident revealed that they would continue gathering more information about the late Kiptum's final moments from individuals who were in his vicinity. The findings will be presented to the public upon completion.

Three mysterious men were interviewed to resolve the case. The individuals claimed that they had paid a visit to Kiptum's family at their home to resolve a Ksh45 million contract dispute between an unidentified Chinese company and the marathon star.