A promising young athlete from Nyahururu tragically died on the spot on Sunday after being hit by a vehicle during a morning jog along the Nyahururu–Nyeri highway .
The athlete, identified as David Maina Mwangi, was jogging from his rural home in Gwa-Kung’u to Nyahururu Stadium when the accident occurred.
Following the incident, many athletes abruptly halted their morning training runs along various roads in Nyahururu and rushed to Mairo Inya Police Station, where Maina’s body was briefly held for documentation before being transferred to the Nyahururu County Hospital mortuary.
Another group of athletes, led by Nyahururu Athletes Welfare Association patron Joel Kimaru and treasurer Daniel Lesinko Pasiay, gathered at the mortuary to witness the body being received.
Heart-wrenching cries from devastated family members attracted a crowd of onlookers.
“We had just finished a 25 km run from Nyahururu to Rumuruti when our driver received the call. We immediately abandoned our warm-down routine and rushed back,” said Japan-based athlete Simon Saidimu after viewing the body at the mortuary.
Maina was known to have big dreams and had been actively participating in the Eldoret Town Hall time trials, a platform used to identify young talents for American university scholarships.
Kimaru stated that the athletes’ community would mobilise support for Maina’s family during the burial arrangements.
The vehicle involved in the accident is currently being held at the Mairo Inya Police Station as investigations continue.
Maina’s death highlights the growing risks athletes face while training on roads around Nyahururu. Most of these roads lack designated footpaths or jogging lanes, forcing runners to train dangerously close to traffic.
Nyahururu’s eastern bypass has become a makeshift training venue for speed work when the stadium becomes unusable during the rainy season. However, the road remains unmarked despite its construction being completed over a year ago, leading to conflicts between vehicles and athletes.
Runners have repeatedly appealed to the Laikipia County Government to rehabilitate Nyahururu Stadium to provide a safer training environment.
Additionally, endurance training on alternative routes has become limited after the Kenya Forest Service restricted access to ‘Agony Hill’ near Thomson Falls—a historic training site used by athletes for over 40 years, including the national team that participated in the 1968 Mexico Olympics, among them legendary former NOCK president Kipchoge Keino.
