Both Kenyan and Ugandan sports ministers converged to the slain athlete athlete Benjamin Kiplagat following his gruesome murder late last year.
Kenyan CS Ababu Namwamba and his counterpart from Uganda Peter Ogwang condoled with the family including the father, mother and widow.
“As a government we consider him to be one of us in the spirit of the East African Community,” said Namwamba.
“We have asked those responsible that those behind this act of murder should not be out there free at all,” he said.
Uganda’s Ogwang delivered the message of president Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, saying that they have a sports policy that will support the family.
“I’m here to deliver condolence messages and support from the government of Uganda to the family of the athlete who represented Uganda in major championships like Olympics. He was a valuable athlete in our country. We are proud of him and we are delivering Uganda shillings 20 million and as my honour, I will add something more,” said Ogwang.
He said that the most important thing in Uganda is that there is a law that recognizes the most outstanding athletes in the caliber of Kiplagat, who will be the first beneficiary in the implementation of the law.
“Through the national Sports Act, it gives powers to the minister of sports and finance to give recognition and reward the outstanding athlete in terms of representing our country. I am going to implement the regulations and Kiplagat qualifies because he represented us very well,” said the Ugandan minister.