On Jan. 25, 30-year-old University of Oregon Ph.D. student Erick Munene Njue was killed in a traffic accident near the intersection of 22nd Avenue and Patterson Street, close to the Spencer View apartments, where he lived. He was riding his bicycle down Patterson, a two-lane, one-way street. As he crossed the road, one vehicle stopped to let him pass, while the car in the other lane was speeding and struck him. He was registered to participate in the Eugene Half Marathon, Sunday, April 26. His friend, Cleven Mmari and Mmari’s 23-year-old son, Nehemia Mmari, will run in his name to advocate for safer roads in Eugene.

“He projected a simple genuine joy,” Cleven Mmari says. Mmari says that when he asked Njue if he was registered for this year’s event, Njue smiled and said “Yes! Of course I’ll be there!” 

Mmari says he promised Njue that he would show up to cheer him on from the sidelines, adding that Njue was very athletic. “He ran, he cycled, he danced,” Mmari says. “He embodied a lifestyle that was just incredible.”

Njue was in his last term of his doctoral program at UO, set to complete his doctorate in special education and graduate in June. “He was really excited,” Mmari says. “He was getting ready to go back to Kenya, where he was from, to work on the education policy for special education.”

Mmari met Njue when he arrived at UO. Mmari, who is from Tanzania, was a Swahili teacher at the UO at the time, and Njue was brought on as an assistant. “If you meet him, you will immediately know him,” Mmari says. “He has helped a lot of people, a lot of students who have come here to study. He’s encouraged them to apply for further education and other things.”

Njue was also an active member of the African Association of Eugene and Lane County, which Mmari says seeks to “foster and create an environment where African families can find home connections.” Mmari says that Njue was “instrumental” to the association.

After he passed, a GoFundMe raised $74,000 to bring Njue’s body back to Kenya and provide financial support and legal litigation for his family. 

Mmari later reached out to the Eugene Marathon and asked if he and his son could run in Njue’s place. He says he did this for two reasons. The first is to honor “the memory of his wonderful joy he brought to the earth and everybody,” and the second is “to continue to push the message to drivers and the city and state, to really continue to ensure that the roads are safer for cyclists and pedestrians.”

He continues, “We’re going to run for life, to run to encourage the cities of Eugene and Springfield, to continue to ensure the roads are safer for cyclists, pedestrians and drivers, especially areas where there is a concentration of people, schools [and] student housing.”

 Mmari says that along with drivers doing their part to slow to the speed limit and be mindful of their own surroundings, the city must also take both long term and immediate action. 

“We have not decided which traffic safety measure will be appropriate for that area, nor has any funding option been identified,” says Marion Suitor Barnes,  Eugene Public Works public affairs manager, though “we continue to explore options,” she adds. 

 Mmari and Nehemia, along with friends and supporters stationed along the race, will sport shirts and banners in advocacy. “It was real unfortunate to have lost him, especially for something that we think could have been prevented,” Mmari says.

Njue was a scholar of the International Cultural Service Program, which allows international students to attend UO on a tuition remission in exchange for up to 80 hours of educating the community about their home. Mmari, who was also an ICSP scholar, says that Njue loved to teach about the music of Kenya for the program. At the end of the race, Mmari says that attendees are invited to “dance to some of his songs that he really loved,” including “Mugithi wa Matuini” which has lyrics that translate to, “have you bought your ticket to board the heaven-bound train?”

The Eugene Marathon and Half Marathon are 7 am Sunday, April 26, and finish at Hayward Field. The Eugene Marathon, Half Marathon and Eugene 5K are all sold out and the waitlist is closed. Go to EugeneMarathon.com for event details.