Cheruiyot Kirui: Kenyan Found Dead On Mt Everest Had Expressed Fears Before Climbing Mountain

• Before ascending from the base camp of Everest, mountaineer Cheruiyot Kirui was alive to the setbacks that would hamper his way up
• The Kenyan braced himself to scale the world's highest mountain without supplemental oxygen
• He was reported missing after reaching 8,000 metres above the mountain before his body was discovered a few metres from the summit point

Kai Eli, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Mountaineer Cheruiyot Kirui had expressed scepticism about his expedition on Mt Everest.

Kirui was found dead a few metres before the peak of the world's highest mountain.

This was after he was reported missing while in the company of his guide.

In his last post before the ascension on May 17, Kirui analysed the setbacks that could hamper his adventure.

Unexciting activities before Climbing Everest

Dubbing the post a 'lukewarm update', the banker seemed cynical about the whole climb.

He initially expressed disgust at the lack of enthusiasm and days of inactivity at the base camp.

According to him, the activities there were not inspiring; they were eating, sleeping, watching the weather and a few nearby hikes.

But a few parties here and there to celebrate successful summits brought back the excitement to some extent.

"Such idle days aren't good for business, many stories playing rounds, others clearly sent to shake the roots of my faith. And not being a particularly brave person, some withered me a little until I'd find time to myself and rebuild my defenses through review of the logic and science in support of this attempt," he said.

Dreaded no-oxygen challenge on Everest

While getting fixated on his plan to scale without supplemental oxygen, Kirui admitted it was a risky business.

He was alive to the fact that most mountaineers who had embraced the no-oxygen challenge did not end it alive.

"A no-oxygen attempt comes with its special preparations and risks. It is no accident that only 3% of successful Everest summits are without oxygen and that 3% is a success rate of about 30% of attempts by mostly professional mountaineers and alpinists," he noted.

Still insisting on his dare-devil adventure, Kirui was aware he suffered from High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), which would be worsened by the ascension to higher altitudes.

He, therefore, armed himself with Nifedipine, which would help relax the heart muscles and blood vessels in the event HAPE visited him during the climb.

At the extreme of the unfavourable conditions, he banked on his sherpa who would carry emergency oxygen.

Cheruiyot Kirui's dare-devil climb of Everest

• The Kenyan who set himself up for a no-oxygen challenge began ascending the world's highest mountain on May 17.
• All was well until he scaled 8,000 metres above Everest when he went out of contact while in the company of his Nepali guide
• Kenyans prayed for Kirui's safety, but that was negated by the discovery of his body just a few metres near the peak of the mountain.

Proofreading by Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke