His younger brother, Philemon Tanui, attended University of Wyoming and ran competitively for the school.

He celebrated an especially spectacular victory in Zürich where he fell on the track on the last lap but still won easily.

To the great disappointment of many observers he was not included in the Kenyan team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

The next year, at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics in Athens, Kiptanui failed to win his fourth consecutive gold medal, but took silver.

The Shoe4Africa Moses Kiptanui School was opened in 2012 at Kamoi district, Marakwet and has eight primary classes with 320 students.