Veteran athletics coach brother Colm O’Connell and former marathoner Moses Tanui have mourned the death of Paul Brendan, terming him as a great man who has nurtured many top athletes, basketballers as well as golfers in the country.
Colm said he worked with Brendan over 50 years ago when they introduced sports at St Patrick’s Iten High School in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
“Brendan and I set up a camp in Iten and when he left, I continued with the legacy he had set in terms of sports. He should be remembered for his contribution to sports in Kenya after working in this country for the better part of his life time,” said Colm.
“Let us not forget him for what he has done for this country. Sometimes iconic people pass through and when they pass on, you wonder where we are going to get the replacement. Where are we going to get somebody of the same caliber, same character among other virtues with the same enthusiasm like Paul? he mourned.
Colm revealed how he and Brendan found themselves in athletics and basketball.
“Paul was a very humble and caring person. He really knew how to bring out the best from the people. He was a very enthusiastic teacher and coach," he said.
"He was not just a teacher and a coach, he was also an all-round man who could do carpeting, painting, repairing, mechanics. So he was a very useful man to have in the community or in your school and I really admire him because he was an inspiration to me when I came to Iten. I worked with Paul as my senior and that is how I learnt a lot from him."
Colm regretted that Paul is not appreciated for what he did in the community and in sports, especially at the Eldoret Sports Club and Eldoret Golf Club.
“He had a good sense of humour and had endeared himself to so many people, not just in sports but in the wider community. He was a 'community man' and I think his contribution to Kenya has been immense,” he added.
Tanui, who worked with Brendan at the Eldoret Golf Club, said the veteran coach was a great man who served the public well.
“To be in a position of trustee is not a joke and Brendan was a great man all the time. He has mentored many Kenyans and many will miss him,” he said.
Brendan also served as chairman of Eldoret Golf Club.
