Digital blogger Dennis Itumbi and human rights activist Boniface Mwangi have clashed over a proposal by the former to award the greatest marathoner Eliud Kipchoge Kenya highest medal, Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya(CGH).
On Saturday, after Kipchoge smashed the INEOS159 challenge, Itumbi suggested that the world record-holder deserves the CGH medal.
“Because we now know that no man is limited, @EliudKipchoge, deserves a CGH, the highest medal Kenya reserves for its finest sons and daughters,” tweeted Itumbi.
However, the proposal by the digital blogger did not go well with activist Mwangi who said the award was too low to fit a man of Kipchoge’s calibre.
Mwangi claimed that the award had lost its worthiness since the majority of the people who have received it have a questionable reputation.
“Giving Eliud Kipchoge that useless award is demeaning his achievements.
Those awards have been reserved for socialites, criminals, drug dealers, people who fund presidential campaigns, githeri man and the likes. Eliud is the GREATEST and doesn’t belong there. Your wish is trash!” reacted Mwangi to the blogger’s tweet.
Giving Eliud Kipchoge that useless award is demeaning his achievements. Those awards have been reserved for socialites, criminals, drug dealers, people who fund presidential campaigns, githeri man and the likes. Eliud is the GREATEST and doesn't belong there. Your wish is trash! https://t.co/iDjH32OnzP
— Boniface Mwangi (@bonifacemwangi) October 12, 2019
Itumbi, however, rubbished the reaction by the activist and insisted that the award was befitting to people with an extraordinary contribution to the well being of the nation.
“I am NOT limited. I pray that he gets the highest award reserved by Country for its finest sons and daughters.
I know he will get a little bit more. I refuse to limited by your idea of what my wish should be or is. I refuse to be Limited,” said Itumbi.
Kipchoge beat the INEOS challenge by 20 seconds after finishing the challenge at 1:59:40.
The achievement, though not recognized by International Association of Athletics Federations(IAAF), has earned Kipchoge a place in the Guinness Book of Record as the first-ever human to complete a 42-kilometre race in less than 2 hours.