Retired long distance runner’s widow charged with murder
From left: Vincent Ng'ososei Kiprono , Jamlick Kiptoon Morogit and Rose Chepkemboi Rotich appear at the Eldoret High Court on November 12, 2024 where they were charged with the murder of retired Kenyan athlete Samson Kandie.
What you need to know:
- The suspects reportedly fled the scene before their subsequent arrests. The murder of Samson Kandie adds to a growing list of athletes in the North Rift region, whose deaths are tied to domestic violence.
- Previous cases include the murder of Agnes Tirop by her husband in 2021, Damaris Muthee, and more recently, the death of Uganda’s Rebecca Cheptegei, who was doused in petrol and killed by her estranged husband last month.
The widow of former Vienna City Marathon champion Samson Kandie is among three people charged with his murder.
According to the charge sheet, Rose Chepkemboi Rotich, a mother of four, is the prime suspect in the murder together with Jamlick Kiptoon Morogit and Vincent Ng’ososei Kiprono.
The three were charged in the High Court in Eldoret Tuesday. The court was told that the suspects murdered the athlete on the night of October 3 at his Elgon View estate in Eldoret town in Kesses Sub-County.
All the accused denied the charge before Justice Reuben Nyakundi.
State Counsel David Fedha presented the charge sheet in court which indicated that Kandie was brutally hacked to death.
The incident shocked residents who claimed that the couple had a long-standing domestic feud. The suspects made an application to be released on bond through their lawyer Elijah Momanyi.
Justice Nyakundi directed probation officers to interview all parties involved and file their report in court to be used in determining whether the accused qualify for bond release.
The court further ordered the lawyer representing the accused to ensure that sureties met all required criteria.
“We will require sureties to be sworn in court after confirming that the accused qualify to be released on bond,” directed Justice Nyakundi.
Mr Fedha served defence lawyers with some of the documents that the prosecution is expected to rely on during the case.
The State counsel had objected to the application by the defence lawyer for the accused to be released on bond, urging the court to allow probation officers and other stakeholders to engage all parties to determine if the accused are fit to be released on bond.
The court directed the defence to file their application on bond in court within five days and serve the same to the prosecution.
The matter will be mentioned on December 2 when the court will make a ruling on the application to release the accused on bond.
During the plea, the family of the deceased jammed the court.
On the fateful night, Kandie was rushed to Real Hospital in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County by his relatives, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. His family members found him bleeding and unresponsive in his compound.
The police report stated that nothing was stolen from him by the attackers, except his phone.The suspects in the murder had gone into hiding before the police arrested them.
Kandie joins a growing list of active and former athletes who have been killed in the North Rift region.
Former World Athletics Cross Country Championships winner Agnes Tirop was murdered in 2021. Her estranged husband Ibrahim Rotich is a prime suspect in the case which is still in court. Mr Rotich denied the murder charge.
Another athlete, Damaris Mutua, was stabbed to death six months later. In 2010, Mutua won bronze for Kenya over 1,000m at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore.
In the most recent case, Ugandan marathon runner, Rebecca Cheptegei, was doused in petrol and set alight by her estranged Kenyan husband a month ago. Both of them died in hospital while receiving treatment.
