The slain two-time World 10000M bronze medallist Agnes Tirop was allegedly involved in an extramarital affair with another man before her brutal murder, the Eldoret High Court heard yesterday.

Joseph Cheromei, Tirop’s longtime athletics coach told presiding judge Robert Wanada that he was told about the alleged romantic relationship by her Italian manager Giani Demadona.

Safety concerns

Demadona, he said, was concerned about Titop’s safety after she confided in him that she was in an extramarital affair with a man only identified as “Mr Sawe”.

Cheromei told the court that he is a coach at the Iten Athletics Training Camp in Elgeyo Marakwet and an agent of Demadona.

Sometime in June 2021, he said, Demadona asked him to bring Tirop to the training camp ahead of two major races she was to take part in – in Tokyo, Japan, and Valencia, Spain.

“My agent instructed me to bring Agnes to the camp after he learned that she was going through tough times [at] the hands of her estranged partner Ibrahim Rotich at their Iten house, which was situated about 500m from the training camp,” Cheromei said.

Cheromei was testifying in a case where Rotich, the prime suspect in her killing, is facing a murder charge.

Rotich is said to have killed Tirop on October 13, 2021, at their rural house on the outskirts of Iten in Elgeyo Marakwet.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charge and is out on a Sh400,000 bond.

The Olympian was killed a few days after returning to Kenya from the Tokyo Olympics, where she finished fifth in the 5000M contest.

Another witness, Miriam Rotich, a lecturer at Moi University, told the court that the suspect, who is her brother-in-law, on October 12 asked to borrow her car for an errand in Kitale, Trans Nzoia county.

“I gave him my car, which I normally use to drive to work at the main campus, after consulting my husband Cornelius Rotich,” she added.

’Sweating profusely’

That day, she said, the suspect appeared tense and was sweating profusely.

Miriam Rotich recalled that she gave her brother-in-law her car before she heard saw the news on TV the following day about Tirop’s grisly murder. She said she tried to reach Ibrahim Rotich by phone on October 12 to enquire about her car but could not reach him as he had switched off his mobile phone.

The hearing has been adjourned to November 5 when three witnesses are expected to testify.