Verdict on Tirop's husband's bond request set for Wednesday
Ibrahim Rotich (R), husband of Kenyan distance runner Agnes Tirop who was found dead with stab wounds, appears in a dock for a hearing at the High Court in Eldoret, Kenya, On December 1, 2021.
Agnes Tirop’s husband Ibrahim Rotich will know on Wednesday if he will be released on bond.
Mr Rotich was implicated in the murder of the long-distance runner, and a hearing on his bond request has been delayed three times.
Mr Rotich was charged with the murder in November, but he denied the charges when he appeared in the High Court in Eldoret.
He was arrested in Mombasa a day after the gruesome killing, reportedly as he tried to flee the country.
The Eldoret court was expected to start hearing the case earlier this year, but due to what was described as legal technicalities, the proceedings did not start.
The adjournments were prompted by the absence of the presiding judge, Justice Reuben Nyakundi, who was reportedly engaged in other official duties away from Eldoret.
Prosecutors have objected to the release of Mr Rotich on bond, claiming there was overwhelming evidence connecting him to the murder. They argue he would interfere with witnesses if he is freed.
The bond hearing was first adjourned on December 15, when prosecutors objected to the release of the suspect.
The matter was again adjourned on March 9. The court then said a ruling on bond would be made on April 1, but the hearing was adjourned again to April 27.
The judge had directed in December that probation officers prepare a pre-bail report to help in determining whether Mr Rotich should be released on bond.
Probation officer David Barasa asked the court for two weeks to compile the report.
The late Agnes Tirop.
On November 16, during his plea-taking, State Counsel Anthony Fedha objected to releasing Mr Rotich on bond, arguing that he might influence, frighten or interfere with witnesses.
He revealed that Mr Rotich’s relatives were among the 10 key witnesses expected to testify.
Prosecutors also told the court that Mr Rotich had threatened to take his own life before he was arrested and they feared he would do it if released.
The court issued an interim order to the family of the late Tirop to take custody of her property until the matter is determined. The athlete’s father Vincent Tirop was appointed as temporary administrator of the property.
Tirop featured last in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, taking part in the 5,000m and finishing fourth.
The women-only 10km record holder and former world cross country champion was found dead in her Iten home on October 13.
Athletes holding a procession in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County on April 25, 2022 to protest the killing of Damaris Muthee Mutua, a Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete who was found killed in Iten last week. Two-time World 10,000m Bronze Medalist Agnes Tirop was also killed last year.
Meanwhile, the DCI has reached out to Interpol and the Foreign Affairs ministry to help capture an escapee linked to the murder of Kenyan-born Bahraini athlete Damaris Muthee Mutua.
The decomposing body of Mutua, 28, was discovered in a rental house in Lilies Estate on April 20 in Iten, Elgeyo Marakwet County, the same town where the body of Tirop was found.
DCI detectives in Iten have linked Mutua’s murder to her Ethiopian lover, also an athlete identified as Eskanda Hailemariam, alias Koki Fai. He is said to be the prime suspect.
The suspect allegedly fled to Ethiopia after the killing.
