Kennedy Njiru

Kennedy Muriithi Njiru (1987 7 January 2020), also known as Kenneth Njiru or Kennedy Njiri, was a Kenyan steeplechase and long-distance runner. With a 3000 metres steeplechase personal best of 8:18.48, he finished third place twice at the Kenyan national championships and finished highly at several major international road races and Diamond League meetings. On 7 January 2020, he died in a car accident in Kenya.

Biography Njiru's first national track final was in 2012, when he finished 6th in the 3000 metres steeplechase at the Kenyan Athletics Championships with a time of 8:37.2.

In his final year of competition in 2019, Njiru achieved another third-place national showing at the 2019 Kenyan World Championships Trials, as well as a 10th place showing at the separate Kenyan Athletics Championships meeting that year. From 7 to 14 May 2019, Njiru was ranked 12th in the world at steeplechase events by World Athletics. His 10 kilometres road time of 28:00 to finish 2nd at the Cooper River Bridge Run earned him 1,132 World Athletics Rankings points, his best score aside from his steeplechase times.

His death was mourned by Athletics Kenya officials as well as steeplechase world champion Milcah Chemos, 2015 javelin world champion Julius Yego, and former marathon world record holder Patrick Makau.

Personal bests Event Mark Competition Venue Date 3000 metres steeplechase 8:18.04 Monaco Diamond League Monaco 20 July 2018 10 kilometres (road) 28:00 Cooper River Bridge Run Charleston, South Carolina 6 April 2019