Turkana South MP John Namoit (L) among other suspects at the High Court in Eldoret
Turkana South MP John Namoit and seven co-accused have urged a court in Eldoret to fast-track the hearing of a case in which they are charged with assaulting a son of Turkana Governor Jeremiah Lomurukai.
The case, which is before Eldoret Senior Principal Magistrate Kesse Cheronoh, is expected to resume with nine remaining prosecution witnesses.
The accused, through their lawyers, accused the prosecution of delaying the matter through repeated adjournments. In response, Cheronoh directed the prosecution to ensure all remaining witnesses are lined up to facilitate a speedy conclusion of the trial.
The witnesses include two medical doctors, a document examiner and an official from telecommunications firm Safaricom, who are expected to provide forensic and documentary evidence.
“The court is committed to a speedy trial and conclusion of this matter. I direct the prosecution to ensure the witnesses are available to give their evidence,” Cheronoh said.
So far, 11 key prosecution witnesses have testified, including the complainant, Nimrod Lomurukai, a professional footballer and his elder brother Lavish Lomurukai.
The magistrate was responding to concerns raised by the defence, which alleged that the prosecution was deliberately slowing down the proceedings.
Lead defence lawyer Gabriel Ekusi told the court that the repeated adjournments were prejudicial to the accused, particularly the Turkana South MP, who has been forced to miss parliamentary committee sittings in Nairobi to attend court, only for the case to be postponed because witnesses failed to appear.
Namoit and his co-accused — Peter Lokutuni, David Nangiro, Jemostar Akoyen, Bornfestus Nabuin, Joseph Ekitele, Sammy Ekitele and James Abel — face charges of assault and conspiracy to defeat justice.
The prosecution alleges that they assaulted the governor’s youngest son, aged 22, on the night of April 29, 2024, at Cherina Hotel on the outskirts of Lodwar town in Turkana county.
They have all denied the charges.
The accused are out on a Sh150,000 bond each, with a surety of a similar amount.
During the hearing, Nimrod recalled how his father had previously confided in him about political enemies in the county before the alleged assault.
In earlier testimony, he told the court that he was attacked by individuals linked to the Turkana South MP as he was leaving Cherina Hotel, where he had been playing pool.
He testified that while waiting for his elder brother in the parking area, he was confronted and slapped by a man he later identified as Peter Etung before other people joined in the assault.
“I fell on my stomach after Etung rained heavy blows on me and a friend of mine who was standing at a distance rushed to my rescue from the mob,” Nimrod testified.
Cheronoh directed that the hearing continues on July 29 and August 5 and 7, 2026.
