The four men who visited Kelvin Kiptum’s father before the tragic accident have revealed details of their mission to the home of the athlete.
Speaking after presenting themselves to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) office in Kaptagat, the quartet indicated that they wanted to address an issue regarding a contract signed between Kiptum and a Chinese company.
The contract was worth Ksh45 million and it entailed the supply of running kits.
The four men reportedly visited Kiptum’s father to iron out the misunderstanding as it had emerged that Kiptum was contemplating ditching the company and paying the money.
On the other hand, the Chinese company was only interested in letting Kiptum fulfil his contractual obligation without going into court battles and that is why they sent the four to negotiate with the deceased.
“The Chinese company was to supply sports equipment to Kiptum to be used during the Chicago marathon and it is alleged that Kiptum opted to use a different brand and not the Chinese brand as agreed,” Elgeyo Marakwet CCIO Joshua Chelal stated.
“Therefore they (the Chinese company) were aggrieved and sent the four men to negotiate whether they could be compensated or whether they would be given another opportunity to supply Kiptum equipment for the forthcoming Rotterdam race slated for April 2024,” he added.
The four men through their lawyer also denied claims that they were strangers as widely reported. They indicated that they properly introduced themselves to Kiptum’s father, discussed part of the said contract and afterwards took photos which they even showed to the media.
After setting the record straight and recording their statements, they were ordered to report back on Friday, February 16 to help with further investigations into the death of the fast-rising athlete.
Meanwhile, President William Ruto together with the Cabinet agreed to accord Kiptum a decent send-off. The Cabinet agreed to help the family arrange for the burial.
The late athlete will be interred at this home on Saturday, February 24.
