Kenyan athletes in custody after Rwandese athlete found murdered in Iten in ‘love triangle’

©Courtesy

Kenyan athletes in custody after Rwandese athlete found murdered in Iten in ‘love triangle’

Mark Kinyanjui 06:30 - 24.08.2023

The wheels of justice are slow but they do grind.

Two individuals have been arrested after a Rwandan marathoner was found dead at a renowned training center in Kenya following an alleged ‘love triangle’ involvement that culminated in his death

Siragi Rubayita, 34, was training in the town of Iten before a competition in Italy when he was killed in a manner his family have described as  "a senseless act of violence when a fellow athlete and his girlfriend invited him to their home the night before his departure".

The family are calling for "truth and justice" for their son who was "pursuing his passion for running and sports excellence".

Police investigating the incident that led to Mr Rubayita's death say two individuals arrested, a male and a female, are the main suspects. They are also fellow athletes.

Nasra Bishumba, Mr Rubayita's sister, told the BBC that her brother was expected back home in Kigali on Friday before his scheduled trip to Italy.

She said his coaches in Iten were "instrumental" in searching for him when his roommate raised the alarm after his failure to return home.

"After informing us, they immediately started working with the police and that's how the suspects were apprehended," she said.

According to local reports, the male individual was allegedly unhappy with the relationship between Rubayita and the female individual.

A post-mortem is set to be carried out and Rubayita's family has dispatched a team to Iten "to bring him home where we intend to give him love and honor him for the exceptional son and brother that he was".

In a statement, Rwanda's High Commission in Kenya revealed that "a diplomat from the commission is on the ground to follow up on the case".

Mr Rubayita has represented Rwanda in international competitions in Africa and Europe.

In June he finished 13th in the Kigali International Peace Marathon.

Tags: