Tirop’s husband suspected infidelity, witness tells court

The murder trial of Ibrahim Rotich, the prime suspect in the death of international athlete Agnes Tirop took a new twist yesterday after it was claimed that infidelity was at the centre of their domestic feud.

One of the witnesses, John Samoei, told Justice Robert Wanada of Eldoret High Court that Rotich confided in him he was suspicious Tirop was cheating on him with a Kenya Defence Force (KDF) officer.

This was after the suspect the deceased got red-handed while communicating with the KDF officer on her mobile phone and that it was not the first time he was suspecting her of cheating on him.

“Rotich called me two years ago for an urgent meeting to iron out domestic issues that he was involved in with his wife at their house in Iten saying he was not comfortable to share with me the information on phone,” said Samoei.

Samoei who is a car dealer in Eldoret town said that they have been close friends with the suspect for more than 11 years and that Rotich introduced him to the deceased in 2015 as his wife.

He told the court that Rotich wanted him to talk to the deceased with a view of reconciling them in regards to the suspicions brought about by the military officer in their marriage..

Bitter altercation

The businessman also told the court that he agreed to Rotich’s request for a meeting in one of the hotels in the outskirts of Eldoret town where he opened out the marital problems he involved with his estranged wife.

“Rotich told me that a KDF officer has been frequently calling his wife on her mobile phone and he feel she has been cheating on him with the officer, and also whenever he tried to iron out the matter she engages him in bitter altercation,” he said.

Samoei said Rotich looked furious and depressed over the alleged love affairs between the slain international athlete and the military officer suspected to have been flirting with her.

Samoei said that he managed to hold a reconciliation meeting between Rotich and Agnes in his house in Kessess area where they had supper and ironed out the issues that were threatening to ruin their marriage.

The court further heard that a few days to the killing of the athlete, Rotich again called his friend to meet him urgently at undisclosed location in Eldoret town saying that he had differed with his wife.
Samoei recounted that he then persuaded Rotich to reveal to him where he intended to meet him since he was also at Barngetuny plaza within the central business district.

“Rotich then told me to rush to KVDA plaza saying he had reached a point of taking on his own life because of depression and stress from the international runner, he said that he want to jump from 24th floor of the building,” said Samoei.

Samoei said that on reaching KVDA, he did not find Rotich and later learned that he had changed his mind driven off in high speed towards Kabarnet town along the Iten-Kabarnet highway.

The businessman told the court that it later emerged that Rotich was disturbed after killing the athlete and locked her body in their bedroom house and that he trying the escape.

He was testifying against Rotich who is accused of killing Agnes Tirop at their rural estate house in the outskirts of Iten town, Elgeyo Marakwet County.

Rotich who pleaded not guilty to the murder charge is said to have committed the criminal offence on October 13, 2021.

The suspect, who went missing after the incident, was seized by police detectives attached to the directorate of criminal investigations department in Changamwe area, Mombasa days after the body of the athlete was discovered in her two bedroomed house.

The celebrated Kenyan international runner met her death month after she broke the Women’s 10km World record in Germany.

She had finished second in the Giants Geneva 10km race and in 2017 and 2019 she had claimed bronze medals at the World championship in 10,000 metre race.

She added another feather by winning the 2015 World cross-country championship.