The Eldoret Court has rejected a plea to halt the burial of world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, amidst a legal dispute initiated by a woman asserting to be the mother of his child. The court firmly denied the request, affirming that the funeral arrangements would proceed as scheduled.
The 22-year-old woman had petitioned the court, seeking to delay the burial on grounds of her claimed parenthood of a child with the deceased marathoner. Represented by her legal counsel, she argued that allowing the burial to proceed would potentially infringe upon the child’s rights.
Additionally, she contended that she had not been involved in the funeral preparations, which were already underway. Furthermore, she urged the court to order DNA testing to ascertain the paternity of her child, a plea that was also dismissed.
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The presiding judge emphasized that significant progress had been made in organizing the burial, and any interruption at this stage would result in substantial financial losses.
Kelvin Kiptum is scheduled to be interred on Friday, February 23, in a State-sanctioned ceremony, endorsed by the cabinet and expected to be attended by dignitaries, including Head of State William Ruto.
On Thursday at 9:00 a.m., a funeral procession commenced from the morgue, en route to Eldoret town for a public viewing. Subsequently, the procession will proceed to a church for a funeral service before concluding at his residence in Naiberi, Iten.
Notably, Kelvin Kiptum’s burial follows closely after the funeral of his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, who was laid to rest in Rwanda. The Kenyan government extended financial support to Hakizimana’s family, donating Ksh5 million towards funeral expenses.
Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba was among the attendees at Gervais Hakizimana’s funeral service, demonstrating the close-knit nature of the sporting community in honoring their fallen members.
