An Eldoret politician has been mentioned in court in
connection with a group alleged to have participated in the killing of a man
whose body was found in River Sosiani, Uasin Gishu county.
Senior State Counsel Sylvester Thuo made the reference during opening submissions in a murder trial before Justice Emily Ominde.
Four suspects — Dennis Rono, Elvis Kiptanui, Abiud Barkutwa and Cornelius Kiplimo Keter — are charged with the murder of Samwel Mugiro on July 27, 2025, at Kipkaren estate in Kapseret subcounty.
Thuo told the court that the prosecution intends to rely on the “last-seen” theory to link the suspects to the incident, along with forensic evidence, postmortem findings and witness accounts.
He further told the court that tension in the area escalated after an earlier killing sparked protest by youth, which were later followed by counter demonstrations.
“The deceased was allegedly targeted during the counter-protests,” Thuo said, adding that the state had lined up 22 witnesses to testify in the case.
A witness under protection, identified only as KBO, testified virtually and narrated how he allegedly saw the suspects assaulting the deceased near Kipkaren estate.
According to his testimony, the deceased was tied up and beaten for over an hour before being left injured. Mugiro’s body was later recovered from River Sosiani and taken to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary.
A postmortem conducted by Dr Benson Macharia, a resident pathologist at MTRH, revealed that Mugiro died from drowning but had suffered multiple injuries before death.
“It appears the deceased sustained head and limb injuries before drowning, indicating he was alive when he entered the water,” Dr Macharia said.
Independent pathologist Dr Walter Nalianya of the Independent Medico-Legal Unit, who represented the family, concurred with the findings.
Human rights defenders, led by activist Kimutai Kirui, have since called for justice over the killing.
The hearing continues before the Eldoret High Court.
