Kenya's minister for sports Ababu Namwamba said on social media platform X, "Devastatingly sickening!! Kenya has lost a special gem. Lost for words."

Kiptum set the world record at the Chicago Marathon in October with a time of 2:00:35 to surpass the record of 2:01:09 set by his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge in Berlin in 2022.

According to the Nation newspaper, Kiptum was driving his Rwandan coach and a woman in a car in the Rift Valley late on Sunday evening when the accident occurred.

Kitum and Gervais Hakizimana died at the scene but the woman, Sharon Kosgey, survived with serious injuries and was treated at a local hospital.

"This was a self-involved accident," the newspaper quoted the local police commander, Peter Mulinge, as saying.

Despite the late hour, tributes were paid to Kiptum by senior Kenyan politicians and government officials.

"Devastating news as we mourn the loss of a remarkable individual, Kelvin Kiptum, World Record holder and Kenyan athletics icon," former Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga said on social media platform X.

"My deepest condolences to his loved ones, friends, and the entire athletics fraternity. Our nation grieves the profound loss of a true hero."

Kenya's Sports Minister Ababu Namwamba said he was sickened by the news. "Kenya has lost a special gem. Lost for words," he posted on X.