Athlete’s murder suspect freed on cash bail

Ibrahim Rotich, the prime suspect in the brutal murder of his estranged wife, Agnes Tirop, was yesterday released on a Sh500,000 cash bail by an Eldoret court.

In his ruling, Justice Wananda Aruno directed that the accused be freed on a Sh400,000 bond with two sureties of similar amount or deposit a cash bail of Sh500,000.

Rotich is accused of killing the former World Cross-Country champion at their Iten house on October 13, 2021 following protracted quarrels on the fateful day. He denied the charges when he first appeared in court before Justice Reuben Nyakundi.

Compelling reasons

The Judge ruled that there were no compelling reasons to continue holding the accused in Eldoret GK remand prison since the circumstances that had compelled the court to deny him freedom had changed.

“For the last two years, the accused has been detained in remand prison in connection with the murder of his wife, is enough period to now set him free on bond now that the environment on the ground has changed,” ruled Aruno.

The Judge issued a raft of tough conditions which the accused person should comply with following his release on bond warning that in the event he goes against any of the rules, his bond will be cancelled with immediate effect.

Meanwhile, the High Court in Eldoret yesterday issued warrants for the arrest of three key prosecution witnesses accused of derailing the speedy hearing and determination of a murder case.

Justice Reuben Nyakundi (pictured) directed the immediate arrest of Michael Wamalwa, Diana Simiyu and Jane Githua after they failed to appear in court to give their testimonies in relation to the brutal murder of Livingstone Kamau.

According to Prosecutor Mark Mugun, the three witnesses have been ignoring court summons leading to the stalling of the case four years since it was filed in the court. The three are prosecution witnesses in a murder case in which Abigael Yego, a housewife, is accused of stabbing her estranged husband Livingstone Kamau to death in cold blood using a kitchen knife following a family feud on June 17, 2019.

Justice Nyakundi took the move after the deceased’s father Josphat Mwangi told the court the three witnesses who are his neighbors have hatched a scheme to derail the case with the aim of collapsing it.