Sing'Oei mourns death of Kenyan mountaineer Cheruiyot

Principal Secretary for Foreign Affairs Korir Sing'Oei on Thursday mourned the death of mountaineer Cheruiyot Kirui.

Kirui, a banker by profession, embarked on a journey to conquer Mt Everest, the world’s highest mountain, accompanied by a Nepali climber Nawang Sherpa.

Korir described Kirui as a friend he knew for his adventurous spirit and determination.

"Really gutted by this news. Kirui my friend and banker at KCB passed by my office before he left for Nepal on this adventure. I have been following his exploits until this unfortunate end," Sing'Oei said.

"He is a fearless, audacious spirit, and represents the indomitable will of many Kenyans. We shall miss him." 

Cheruiyot was on a daring mission to reach the summit of Mt Everest, without supplemental oxygen.

The news about Kirui’s death started circulating Wednesday evening, days after he started the daring mission.

Everest Today confirmed that Kirui passed on slightly above 8,000 metres to the summit.

“With profound sadness, we share the news of Kenyan mountaineer Cheruiyot Kirui's passing on. His body was found a few meters below the summit point of Mt Everest,” it said.

Kirui would have been the first African to reach the summit of the mountain which is 8,849 metres above sea level.