Family of man who died while rescuing dog in Mexico gets closure

Family members and friends bid him farewell 17 years ago as he caught a flight to South America where he was set to take part in various road races. As was tradition, they expected Josephat Kibet Ngetich, an athlete, back in Kenya after six months of active races in Mexico.

However, he is now reunited with his family in a way they never expected: in a casket at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on February 9. Back at his Taabet village in Bomet Central Constituency, there was sadness and tears as his body arrived.

Ngetich, a father of three children, died while attempting to rescue a dog that fell into a dam at his employer’s farm on December 14, 2023. It is not clear whether the dog survived or also died.

A pair of sports shoes which he used in various races, lay on top of the coffin as it was moved to Longisa Hospital mortuary on Friday evening after being received at JKIA by family, friends, local leaders, Kenyan and Mexican government officials.

“We are grateful to the national government through the department of Diaspora Affairs, the Mexican Embassy in Kenya, the local leaders led by Bomet Central Member of Parliament Richard Kilel, the media, friends, relatives and well-wishers for the support and prayers we have received for the last two months,” Mrs Janeth Ngetich, his wife, said during the funeral on Saturday.

For months, the grieving family struggled to bring the body back to Kenya for burial as they could not afford to raise the Sh3 million required.

But thanks to intervention by the Kenyan and Mexican governments, at no cost to the family, his relatives can finally get some closure.

“It's been two months of uncertainty with back and forth phone calls, physical and virtual meetings, paper work, and knocking on offices. The government has been very helpful to the family and the funeral planning committee,” Mr Paul Ngetcih, who coordinated the Kenyan team that planned and oversaw the funeral arrangements, said.

Mr Geoffrey Kirui, a Kenyan athlete in Mexico who is from Bomet East Constituency, led the team in the diaspora in coordinating the repatriation process.

“We are glad that Ngetich has been laid to rest,” he told Nation.Africa from Mexico on Sunday.

Athletics record

According to records from World Athletics, Ngetich participated in a number of documented races in South America including the 3,000 metres steeplechase. The medals he won over the years are centreplace at the sitting room of his semi-permanent house.

In the Monterrey Half Marathon of April 17, 2005, Ngetich posted a time of 1:04:57 to emerge the winner in the competition. He retained the position in April the following year by clocking 1:03:10.

He won the Saltillo Coahuila Half Marathon held in Saltillo on June 12, 2005 posting a time of 1:04:24, and retained the position on June 11, 2006 clocking 1:03:49.

Ngetich was also the winner of the Belo Horizonte 10 kilometre race where he clocked 29:09 minutes on June 1, 2008 and finished in second place in the Benito Jaurez Half Marathon held in Zapopan among others.

Ambassador Hellen Gichohi, the Secretary for Diaspora Welfare Partnerships at the department of Diaspora Affairs, represented Principal Secretary Roseline Njogu at the funeral.