Fresh details emerge over Agnes Tirop’s murder

The long journey towards justice for slain two-time World 10,000m bronze medalist Agnes Tirop took a different turn on Thursday 17 October as fresh testimonies emerged during a court hearing in Eldoret.

Tirop’s estranged husband, Mr. Ibrahim Rotich is the prime suspect in her murder which occurred in November 2021.

Several witnesses took the stand, including Tirop's long-time coach, Joseph Cheromei, and Mr. Rotich's sister-in-law, Miriam Rotich, shedding new light on the events leading up to the tragic killing of the celebrated athlete.

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Cheromei, a coach at Iten Athletics Training Camp Limited, testified before presiding Judge Robert Wananda, revealing that Ms. Tirop was in distress months before her death.

Cheromei recounted how Tirop’s Italian athletics manager, Giani Demadona, had expressed concern about the athlete’s well-being.

Demadona had instructed Cheromei to bring Tirop to the training camp after learning that she was experiencing difficult times with her estranged husband, Mr. Rotich.

"I was instructed to bring Agnes to the camp after my agent learned that she was going through tough times at the hands of her estranged partner, Ibrahim Rotich, at their Iten house, which was about 500 meters from the training camp," Cheromei told the court as quoted by Nation Sport.

In another testimony, Miriam Rotich, a lecturer at Moi University recounted the events of October 12, 2021, the day of Tirop’s murder. According to her, Ibrahim had borrowed her car earlier that day, claiming he needed to run an errand in Kitale town, Trans Nzoia County.

"I gave him my car, which I normally use to drive to my workplace at Moi University, after consulting my husband, Cornelius Rotich. However, I noticed that Ibrahim didn’t look normal — he was tense and sweating profusely," Ms. Rotich testified.

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Later that day, Miriam turned on her TV during her lunch break and was shocked to hear news about the murder of Agnes Tirop, who she knew as her brother-in-law's girlfriend.

"I immediately rushed to the nearby Kesses police station to report my missing car before returning home," she said, explaining that her brother-in-law's phone had been switched off since the time she lent him her vehicle.

Ms. Rotich realized only later that Ibrahim may have intended to use her car as a getaway vehicle after the murder. Efforts to reach him remained futile as his line remained switched off.

Mr Rotich is out on a Ksh400,000 bond, and he pleaded not guilty. He is represented by lawyer Ngigi Mbugua while the family of the slain runner is represented by Richard Warigi.

Tirop was killed just a few days after arriving in the country from an international race at the Tokyo Olympics where she finished fifth in the 5000 metres.

The hearing has been adjourned until Tuesday 5 November, when three more witnesses are expected to testify.