When gunmen stormed her Ilula village home in Uasin Gishu County last Tuesday, Valentine Chemjor Rotich thought it was a passing nightmare.
By dawn, her husband Richard Rotich, a pharmacist at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), was dead.
The tragedy has left a somber cloud over the family, who are struggling to process the violent home invasion that claimed his life.
“They forced us to lie on the floor while they ransacked the house. They took our phones and demanded our M-Pesa PINs, draining our accounts in front of us. I watched helplessly as they killed my husband,” the widow recounted, her voice trembling.
Valentine Chemjor, widow of the late Richard Nyongus Rotich, a Pharmacist at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
Moments earlier, his children had called to warn him of the invasion, pleading with him not to come. He was still working at his pharmacy at Sina Centre along the Eldoret-Iten Road when he got the distress call. But like any concerned father, he hurriedly closed his shop and drove home, accompanied by his friend Rev Mathew Yatich.
Along the way, they encountered police officers on patrol and informed them of the unfolding situation, but no support was offered.
In an interview, Rev Yatich described the chilling scene that awaited them at the Rotich home.
“We noticed a motorbike parked at the gate and found the family in absolute terror. The attackers initially posed as concerned neighbours,” he said.
“They shot him in the chest as he tried to prevent them from fleeing. I had to dive for cover under my car to survive,” Rev. Yatich recalled. The gunmen then escaped, leaving the grieving family.
The murder sparked outrage among MTRH medical staff, who staged demonstrations in Eldoret demanding justice and better protection for healthcare workers. Clad in white coats, they brought the city’s streets to a standstill before submitting a memorandum to the police urging immediate action.
“Our safety is in the hands of the police and we demand swift action to protect us,” said Japheth Keittany, chairman of the Kenya Union of Domestic, Hotels, Educational Institutions, Hospitals and Allied Workers (Kudheiha) branch.
Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Benjamin Mwanthi confirmed the arrest of three suspects following a sting operation.
Among them is a 43-year-old ex-convict allegedly leading a cross-county criminal syndicate. Detectives also recovered an AK-47 believed to have been used in the murder and mobile phone data, as well as CCTV footage, which is under analysis.
The suspects, Titus Wainaina Njoroge, Jeremiah Njuguna Kinyanjui, and Patrick Kinuthia Mwangi, were remanded for 14 days pending further investigations.
Titus Njoroge Wainaina, second (left), Patrick Mwangi Kinuthia, second (right), and Jeremiah Njoroge Kinyanjui (right), suspects in the shooting of Richard Nyongus Rotich, a Pharmacist at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County, when they were taken to an Eldoret Law Courts in the county for miscellaneous charges on January 13, 2026.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
The tragedy has ignited political outrage with Baringo North MP Joseph Makilap accusing Ainabkoi Police Station officers of negligence, claiming Rotich had reported the invasion before his death.
“We are calling on the Inspector General to transfer every officer at that station,” he demanded, vowing the family would not bury Rotich until justice is served.
“Loopholes in the law allow killers to return to the streets. This must change,” he said, advocating for a referendum to strengthen criminal justice.
Moiben MP Phyllis Bartoo, who visited the grieving family, urged the Ministry of Interior to boost security in Eldoret.
Uasin Gishu County Commissioner Eddy Nyale promised a broader crackdown targeting criminal networks and environments that foster crime, including illicit brew dens.
“We are not only targeting guns. We are going after everything that enables these criminals,” he said.
