Former African Games champion Clement Kemboi has died after committing suicide in Koisungur village in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County on Monday morning.
Confirming his death, Elgeyo Marakwet County Commissioner Peter Mulinge said the athlete’s lifeless body was suspended on a rope tied on a tree at St Patrick Boys High School grounds.
Further, the commissioner revealed that the discovery was made after the local chief alerted him to the presence of a body hanging from a tree with a rope.
“We received information from the area chief about the body of Clement Kemboi found hanging," he said.
Police officers who visited the scene confirmed that Kemboi’s body had started to decompose, and dogs had partially eaten his right leg.
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Additionally, Mulinge noted that the circumstances surrounding his sudden death were unclear as no note or indication was left behind to give a clue.
Investigations into the matter are ongoing, and the body has been taken to Iten Referral Hospital mortuary for a postmortem to determine the exact cause of death.
Clement Kemboi, a 3000m steeplechase specialist, first made a name for himself in 2015 when he won the Africa Games as a teenager.
Six years later, he achieved international success by winning his first major circuit event at the 2011 Weltklasse in Biberach, clocking a personal best of 8:34.22 in the 3000m.
His steady rise continued as he impressed on the global stage in subsequent events.
His 2015 conquest ranked him 8th worldwide in the men's steeplechase, even drawing comparisons to the legendary Ezekiel Kemboi.
In 2016, he set his best of 8:10.65 at the Doha Diamond League.
