Кенийский журналист, прославившийся предложением замужества за Челси Клинтон за скот, погиб от нападения слона

A journalist who gained international attention for boldly proposing to Chelsea Clinton and offering livestock as a dowry died tragically Godwin Chepkurgor was a Kenyan journalist celebrated for his coverage of local affairs and subsequent career as a congressman – yet it is something altogether different that would ultimately define his public image. The man thrust himself into the international spotlight in 2005, when he publicly revealed he had written to then-United States President Bill Clinton five years earlier, offering 40 goats and 20 cows as a dowry in exchange for the hand in marriage of the politician's daughter, Chelsea Clinton. According to the Washington Free Beacon, the offer was entirely consistent with Kalenjin tradition and was regarded as exceptionally generous by the culture's standards, having been conveyed to the President via the country's foreign minister during his visit to Kenya. Godwin had a very particular vision for his and Chelsea's nuptials – should they ever have taken place – telling The Standard: "Had I succeeded in wooing Chelsea, I would have had a grand wedding... I would have invited South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu to preside at the ceremony." The proposal received no response, and just twelve months later in 2006, Godwin wed his university classmate Grace, with whom he went on to have four children and enjoyed many years of happy family life, reports the Daily Star. It was not until 2009 the story re-emerged, this time through a local journalist who, while in the company of visiting US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, asked whether her family had yet reached a decision regarding the proposal for Chelsea's hand in marriage. At the time, Clinton simply replied: "My daughter is her own person, very independent, so I will convey this very kind offer." Godwin welcomed the response warmly, telling the BBC he remained prepared to honour the proposal and was pleased it had been acknowledged. Having largely faded from public attention throughout much of the 2010s, Godwin stayed married to Grace and continued working as a reporter until tragedy befell him. According to the Associated Press, he was dispatched by Kass Weekly in 2014 to cover a local village called Ol-debes, which was being disrupted by a herd of bull elephants. While carrying out his duties, Godwin was ambushed from behind by one of the elephants, which seized him with its trunk and hurled him into the air. He landed on a cluster of sticks that impaled his body, as Kenya Wildlife Service officers desperately attempted to disperse the herd in order to reach him. He was rushed to the Rift Valley General Hospital in Nakuru, but his wounds proved fatal. Godwin died tragically at the age of 45, once again capturing international headlines owing to the widespread media coverage he had previously attracted.