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In a turn of events, the family of celebrated Ugandan steeplechase runner Edward Benjamin Kiplagat, who was brutally murdered in Texas, Eldoret-Kenya, days ago, has decided to bury him in Kenya. 

Following several meetings, the family has reportedly set January 11 (Thursday) as the burial date. 

Kiplagat will be buried in his Kenyan ancestral home at Kamendi village in Transzoia county.

“Our ancestral home is just across the border in Transzoia. That is why Kiplangat will not be laid to rest in Uganda but in the neighbouring village of Kamendi on the Kenyan side of the border,” a family source said. 

Oscar Rotich, a resident of Kamendi village stated: "The Kiplagat family believe that laying their beloved to rest in Kenya will provide the peace and privacy they seek during this difficult time".

Rotich continued: “As the cross-border community residing at the Uganda-Kenya border, most of us are like Kiplagat in the way that part of the family is in Kenya and another across (in Uganda). So, whichever decision the family makes should be honored".

Nonetheless, the decision has sparked a wave of curiosity and speculation, as friends, fans and the international community seek to understand the reasoning behind this choice.

Innocent Diba, a fan of Kiplagat told New Vision Sports that burying their icon in the country of “his death makes it difficult for the Ugandan government to offer him a deserved state burial".  

Uganda, known for its close-knit communities and heritage, has been left in shock by the heinous crime that claimed the life of Kiplagat, 34. 

As the nation mourns, the family faces the daunting task of deciding the final resting place for their cherished athlete.

Sources close to the family reveal that the decision to bury Kiplagat who was part of the Global Sports Communication Management agency in a different country (Kenya and not Uganda) was not taken lightly. 

According to William Cheptoek, one of the grassroots coaches who scouted and mentored the runner, there is a need to respect the family’s position. 

"The family is grappling with unimaginable grief and has prioritised the need for Kiplagat to be buried in Kenya; perhaps they considered it a secure and serene final resting place for their son,” Cheptoek said. 

However, the family has opted not to divulge the “a range of factors contributing to this choice".  

Sebei region in Uganda, which had hoped to claim the burial rights, is known for its picturesque landscapes and tranquil surroundings.

Joel Chemutai, another fan from Kween district (Uganda), said they expected Sebei to offer a peaceful sanctuary for the brutally murdered Kiplagat’s final resting place. 

Additionally, Chemutai believed that the decision to bury the athlete in Kenya was not a symbolic move to separate the memory of the athlete from the tragic circumstances surrounding his untimely death.

Ugandan athletes continue funeral preparations

Ultimately, the Kiplagat burial place decision will deal a blow to the Ugandan athletes who have been holding several meetings at Noah’s Ark Hotel Kapchorwa in a bid to offer a decent sendoff.  

Benjamin Njia, the vice-president of the Ugandan Athletics Federation (UAF), said nothing will stop them from securing “a befitting burial for an individual who in life gave his heart, mind, and soul to the game of athletics while representing our country (Uganda).”

Njia urged the Kenyan Police not to only end up arresting the criminals but “dig deeper to their motive and collaborators if any".

The international community led by Athletics Kenya (AK) has expressed solidarity with Uganda during this trying time, offering condolences and support for the grieving family.  

Barnabas Korir of AK mourned the athlete; "We urge the police to speed up investigations and bring to book his killers," said Korir.

Suspected killers detained

Meanwhile, Moiben sub-county Police commander Stephen Okal confirmed that the two suspects arrested included a bodaboda rider in the region.

Okal said a knife suspected to have been used to stab the athlete was recovered from the suspects.

The suspected killer dou appeared in a Kenyan court on Tuesday last week over the murder of Kiplangat. 

They were detained for 21 days by a magistrate’s court in the Rift Valley town of Eldoret to enable Police to continue investigations into the murder. 

The suspects, identified in court documents as David Ekhai Lokere alias Timo, 25, and Peter Ushuru Khalumi, 30, were both arrested on Monday.

Dominic Otucet, the President of the Uganda Athletics Federation, said the tragic circumstances surrounding Kiplagat’s death had left the athletics fraternity in a somber state. 

A glance at Kiplagat’s career

When Kiplagat was fourteen, he was already as fast as athletes twice his age. “He loved running, and he shined,” her training partner Felix Malewa Chemonges said.

Kiplangat, who was born in 1988, was small-boned and delicate-featured, with cropped hair. 

“Even as a child, he was self-possessed, with a singular focus on improving his speed. 

“He grew up in the Kenyan village of Kamendi and the Ugandan districts of Bukwo and Kapchorwa which is now the running capital of Uganda.  

“He came from a big family. He could choose which village home to stay in since they had families both in Uganda and Kenya, but he often preferred to stay in Uganda,” Chemonges says. 

Over time, Kiplagat who picked Uganda over Kenya went on to become one of the most reliable and successful 3000m steeplechasers in the country.

Kiplangat was a long-distance runner specialising in the 3000m steeplechase.

He previously represented Uganda at the Rio Olympic Games in 2016.

The deceased athlete competed in a series of competitions, including the Shanghai Samsung Diamond League, Lausanne Athletissima in Switzerland, Paris Meeting Areva, and Hengelo Fanny Blankers-Koen Games in the Netherlands. 

In 2020, Kiplagat also represented Uganda at the World Cross Country Championships in Jordan and at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Kenyan-born Ugandan won the 2008 world junior silver in Poland and a few years later he clinched a bronze at the 2012 Africa Senior Games in Benin

He began by competing in the 10,000 metres, but on the advice of his coach, he dropped down to the 1500 and 5000m and later steeplechase.

However, the promising journey was selfishly and abruptly halted, leaving fans, coaches, administrators, and fellow athletes in disbelief.