Every day becomes a cycle of despair and agony to the family mountain climber Cheruiyot Kirui, who died in Mt Everest one year ago, and his body still lies at the world’s highest mountain.
Night closes in and morning arises as they recount the last moments of their son as he left their Chepterit home in Nandi County to hike Mt Everest with ambition to reach the peak without supplemental oxygen support.
Although Cheruiyot had conquered other challenging mountain climbing cycles globally, this one proved too tough for him and ended his life prematurely.
According to his elder brother Enoch Kiplang’at, the family has been healing gradually and they will always remember Cheruiyot who died in a place he loved most: the mountains.
“It has been a year since Cheruiyot Kirui, in pursuit of his mountaineering passion, passed away on Mt Everest - just 40 meters from the summit - in the place he truly loved: the mountains. We miss him more than words can express. This past year has been incredibly difficult for our family. Yet, even in the midst of the pain, we remain deeply thankful for having had Joshua, for his unwavering passion, his courage, and the positive impact he had on us,” said Kiplang’at.
Kiplang’at said even as they continue to walk the journey of the loss of his brother, one of the challenges they still face is obtaining his death certificate from Nepal.
“Even so, we move forward with hope, remaining grateful and proud of Joshua’s passion, courage, and achievements,” he said.
On May 17, 2024, Kenyan hiker Cheruiyot Kirui posted this photo on his Instagram page before embarking on the Mt Everest climb.
Photo credit: Cheruiyot Kirui | Instagram
Kiplang’at also said, as a family, they always trusted Cheruiyot's perspective and leaned on his quiet wisdom. He recalled that there were many great moments they shared with Cheruiyot and his unwavering support which they would always count on.
During the difficult period, while mourning their loved one, the family appreciated the love and the condolences messages received from the relatives, friends, and the community, including the KCB Group where Cheruiyot worked.
The family was accorded counselling services to help calm the situation after it was agreed that the body would remain at the mountain.
On April 18, 2024, Cheruiyot posted on his social media pages that he was on a mission to climb Mt Everest in the Himalayas without using supplemental oxygen.
Mt Everest's summit is about 29,029 feet above the sea level and the highest point on earth located in the ‘Death Zone’ where oxygen is low and features a nearly vertical face climb where one must use ropes to climb one at a time.
Kenyan hiker Cheruiyot Kirui posted this photo in his trekking update on April 27, 2024. He was found dead on May 23, 2024.
Photo credit: Cheruiyot Kirui | Instagram
“Big Project 2024: Everest No-Ox which led to this writer’s curiosity to follow on his journey to the unimaginable. So far, 2 percent of Everest Summits have been done without supplemental oxygen (no African yet), can we squeeze into this group? Let’s see how it unfolds," Cheruiyot would later post.
Upon arrival, Cheruiyot and other climbers were stuck at Ramechhap Airport for two days’ due to what he termed as weather hiccups.
On April 27, he gave another update of his adventure.
Day two would see Cheruiyot head to Kyangjuma which is 3,600m. On the third day they headed to Dingboche, which is 4,300m high. On the fourth day they climbed to Lobuche, which is 4,900m high, before stopping at the Basecamp on the fifth day which is 5,300m.
“I lost count of the time, can’t tell Thursday from a Sunday and now I hear April is about to end. Last fun fact, the internet here costs $120 for 5GB,” he posted.
Early in September 2023, Cheruiyot climbed Mt Manaslu, which is about 8,163m high, without supplement oxygen becoming the first African to achieve that. He has also done multiple speed climbs of Mt Kilimanjaro, which is 5,895m high, in just 15 hours ascending and descending.
On May 31, 2025, some runners organised a 21km race in honour of Cheruiyot to celebrate his life.
