Kenyans on social media spot Ken Okoth doppelgänger cheering Kipchoge in Vienna

Kenyans on Twitter have spotted Ken Okoth look-alike: a middle-aged man in Vienna, Austria pictured in a crowd of spectators, who had lined up to cheer legendary athlete, Eliud Kipchoge, attempt to run a full marathon in under two hours.

The man, who has like-for-like physical features with the Late Kibra MP Ken Okoth, was spotted all smiles as Deputy President William Ruto greeted the crowd, said to be of Kenyans living in Austria.

So uncanny is the resemblance that a section of Twitter users admitted they would have a difficult task picking Okoth from the “Vienna man”.

Tall, dark, spectacles-wearer, a slight receding hairline… the “Vienna man” had everything that someone would use to describe the Late legislator.

And, from nowhere… in a day that many would dedicate solely to Eliud Kipchoge, Ken Okoth’s name creeped into the highly-competitive Twitter hash tag house.

Ken Okoth was trending at Number 9 by 4:55pm Saturday.

Twitter user Hillaire Lilechi said: “May the spirit of Ken Okoth rest in peace, I thought he was in Vienna.”

Mak Rakiro said: “Ken Okoth has been spotted at #INEOS159.”

Sir Leem said: “#IneosChallenge, do you all see Ken Okoth, ama naona nini?”

Marine the African said: “Ken Okoth decided to comeback to be part of history as Eliud Kipchoge did an incredible marathon #IneosChallenge.”

Ken Okoth succumbed to colorectal cancer on July 26 after a spirited 2-year battle.

Deputy President William Ruto, who was in Vienna to witness Kipchoge make history, was the first person to share the picture of the Ken Okoth look-alike on his Twitter page.

Showing him engaging in a meet-and-greet with the spectators, the DP captioned the image: “Your supreme tempo, fatigue-resistance, endurance, compulsion, mental strength, resolve, and tenacity are a manifestation there are no limits when you believe in yourself; undoubtedly the landmark triumph cements Kenya’s position in the globe as an athletics powerhouse. #INEOS159.”

Kipchoge covered 42 kilometers in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds to smash the 2-hour target he had been given.