Imposter disqualified after winning Lewa Marathon

Philip Kigen has been disqualified as the winner of the just-concluded Lewa Marathon due to breaching the rules of the race by having another person compete in his place.

Kigen, the imposter, clocked 2:19:06 to win the race but the results have since been ruled invalid and John Mitei, who had finished second, has been declared the new champion.

Isaac Koech who finished third will now move to second place and Hezron Karanja who finished fourth will move to third place to seal the podium.

A statement from the organisers of the Lewa Marathon read: “The Lewa Safari Marathon race organisers wish to verify that Philip Kigen was disqualified as the winner of the Lewa Safari Marathon, full marathon race, on the 24th of June.

"This is after it was verified that he had flouted race rules by having another runner run under his identity. The organisers wish to reiterate that race cheating will not be tolerated and strict measures will continue to be in place to weed out dishonest conduct.”

Meanwhile, this year’s edition of the event attracted approximately 1,200 runners who were participating in different categories of competitions including 42km, 21km, 10km, and 5km races.

The marathon has raised over Ksh 1.1 billion since its inception in 2000. It aims to support conservation and community initiatives throughout Kenya with over Ksh 561 million invested in protecting endangered species, other wildlife, and their habitats.