Kenya’s para-badminton national team player Japheth Kakai Kitela has passed away.
According to Ability Sports Kenya Vice President Alfred Simiyu Barasa, Kakai fell ill shortly after Team Kenya’s return from the World Abilitysport Beach Games in Mersin, Turkey, on Monday, October 27, 2025.
He was pronounced dead later that day at Mbagathi Hospital in Nairobi around midday.
Kakai was a key member of Kenya’s Air Para-Badminton national team, which captured two gold medals at the just-concluded global event in Turkey.
A postmortem conducted on Wednesday afternoon at Mbagathi Hospital revealed that the 51-year-old athlete, who had previously undergone a leg amputation, developed blood clots in his remaining left leg, leading to deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
The condition is believed to have caused a pulmonary embolism, a blockage in the lungs that tragically ended his life.
During the games, Kakai was part of John Mburu’s Mixed Triples Relay team, which defeated hosts Turkey 3–1 in the finals at Pompei Beach, Mersin, securing Kenya’s second gold medal after another team triumphed earlier in the Mixed Triples category.
He Kakai leaves behind a, six children and five grandchildren.
He will be laid to rest on November 8, 2025, at his home in Muthanga Mutune, Makueni County.
