Sports CS Ababu Namwamba pays tribute to slain Kenyan-born Ugandan athlete

Sports CS Ababu Namwamba visited the grave of the late Kenyan-born Ugandan athlete Benjamin Kiplagat and pledged support to the family members of the athlete.

The CS expressed his condolences to the family of the slain athlete, terming him as a very talented young man. He added that the late Kiplagat was a breadwinner in his family and his extended family were depending on him for provision.

The late Kiplagat had a son who was in Form Three and the CS promised that they would be keen to support him and all the other children who are in school.

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During his visit, he said: “We came here to express our condolences for the loss of a young man who has been very strong as an athlete. He was Kenyan-born and competing for the Republic of Uganda and really someone we consider to be one of our own.

"Even though competitively he was wearing Ugandan colours, as the Government of Kenya we consider him to be one of our own both because he is the son of Kenya and also in the spirit of East Africa, we really are one.

"We have lost someone who was a breadwinner and as the family has shared with me, he has been responsible for his own son who is a form three student, a widow, a mother, a father, brothers, and other relatives who have also been dependent on him. As the government, we are keen to support the family and especially those children who are in school.”

Meanwhile, the 2008 World Junior 3000m SC silver medallist was found dead in Kimumu, Eldoret on Saturday night, December 30, 2023.

According to the Moiben Sub-county police commandant Stephen Okal, his office received a message that an accident had occurred and the officers visited the scene at about 5.00 am on the following day.

Upon scrutiny, the officers found that a man was lying in the driver’s seat and he had been stabbed in his chest and had a deep cut on his neck, noting that the vehicle hit the motorcycle which is believed the owners used to block him before committing the crime and fleeing.

So far, two suspects, David Ekhai Lokere alias Timo and Peter Ushuru Khalumi have been put in police custody but more is yet to unfold concerning the murder.