The High Court has declined to grant orders halting the burial of world marathon record holder Kelvin Kiptum following an application by a woman claiming to be his lover and mother of his child.
She sought to stop the burial pending the hearing and determination of the case where she is seeking to be recognised together with her baby as beneficiaries of the marathoner’s estate.
Through the application filed by her lawyer, the lady sort to block the funeral stating that proceeding with the burial would be a violation of the child’s rights .
She further alleged that she was not involved in the funeral arrangements of the late world record holder, which have been ongoing.
Further the lady requested the court to have DNA samples of the marathoner taken before his burial to establish the paternity of the child in question, a request that was also denied.
While declining the application, the judge noted that the burial arrangements have been ongoing for a while and putting a halt would incur hefty losses of the funds.
The late Kiptum is set to be laid to rest at his newly constructed house home in Naiberi on Friday, February 23.
On Thursday morning, a funeral procession began from Eldoret Hospital Mortuary to Iten for a public viewing of the marathoner’s body.
