Eldoret: Witness In Agnes Tirop Murder Case Claims Victim Engaged In Extramarital Relationships

• John Samoei, a witness in the murder case of long-distance runner Agnes Tirop, told Eldoret High Court that the alleged murder was a result of infidelity
• Samoei explained that the rift between the couple occurred after Ibrahim Rotich became suspicious of Tirop's relationship with a KDF officer
• He also mentioned that Rotich had complained to him about the officer, who he suspected wanted to break his marriage with the marathoner

Nancy Odindo, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings more than three years of experience covering politics, news, and feature stories across digital and print media in Kenya.

Elgeyo-Marakwet - A witness in the murder of Olympian Agnes Tirop has testified in court, relating her death to infidelity.

What happened to Agnes Tirop?

John Samoei, a close friend to the key suspect Ibrahim Rotich, who was also a spouse to Tirop, told the Eldoret High Court that the domestic feuds between the couple arose when Tirop allegedly got involved in a relationship with a Kenya Defence Officer (KDF).

According to a report by Citizen Digital, Samoei informed the court that his friend had at one point asked to discuss something with him but insisted on a physical meet-up.

In his explanation, Samoei discovered that Rotich was traumatised after meeting him in a hotel outside Eldoret town.

After their talk, the accused then requested that he talk to the deceased over the suspicions that rifted them.

The Eldoret businessman said he managed to reconcile the two lovebirds, had supper together, and the couple later spent their night at his Kesses home.

He also attested that he had known the suspect for over 10 years.

Agnes Tirop killed

The slain Olympian body was found in a pool of blood with stab wounds in the neck and abdomen on October 13, 2021, at her Iten home in Elgeyo Marakwet county.

Her alleged murder was attributed to domestic squabbles with her lover, Rotich.

According to her family, the deceased athlete was so scared for her life that she had to move out of Rotich's house and stay in a camp.

"She was lured (to the house) after she arrived in the camp. We think there is something that the guy wanted, and maybe he lied to her and said that he wanted to return her property, and that was why he went to that house. She was no longer staying in that house. She was living in the camp because she really feared the man," he said.

The marathoner was killed after breaking the world record for a women-only 10-kilometer race in September 2021.

Rotich denied the murder charges levelled against him.