Three suspects are on trial at the High Court in Eldoret over the murder of father to Deputy President William Ruto’s communication aide Emmanuel Talam.
Dorcas Chelegat, Silas Kipkemboi Too alias Mationg and Hillary Kipchirchir Korir, alias Kipkosgei have been charged with the murder of Benjamin Koech.
The suspects have denied killing Koech, then 85, on April 14 last year at Cheptingting village, Olessos division in Nandi county.
Yesterday, widow Monicah Koech told Justice Olga Sewe how her husband went missing only for his body to be found in a river in Nandi county.
Monicah told the court that her husband had at one time told her of a Chelagat, a long-time customer at a retail shop Koech operated near his home.
She testified that her husband’s trousers, safari boots and a shirt were recovered in Chelagat's house after her husband's death.
“It was a shock to me and I could not believe it. I wondered what could have happened,” Monica said.
The prosecution says the suspects jointly with others not before the court, waylaid and killed the deceased as he was heading to his home from Simbi shopping centre. His shop was at the same market centre.
“I have never seen nor met Chelagat. It’s the first time I'm seeing her. My husband had told me that she was one of his regular customers,” Monica said.
The widow said that she became restless and worried when her husband failed to arrive home from the shop in the evening as usual.
“I tried to call his mobile phone but it was off. It worried me because it was unusual for his phone to be switched off,” she said.
Monica told Justice Sewe that she sent one of her workers to check on the shop but the employee called back saying Koech was not there.
She informed other workers and villagers who joined in a search.
The search team found the body near a footbridge that connects to a tea plantation along River Kipsigei.
“I was so shocked when I saw his body. I again asked myself what may have happened,” Monicah said.
Prosecution witnesses Peter Kiplimo said they retrieved the body from the river and on searching of the deceased’s pockets they recovered his phone and a rosary.
“We called the police from O’lessos after retrieving the body from the river. It was raining heavily and it was late in the night,” Kiplimo said.
He said they overlooked the fact that they should have first called the police to secure the scene before touching the body.
CID officers from Nairobi led by Maxwel Otieno said that Koech may have been killed elsewhere and the body dumped in the river.
“The suspects may have wanted to create the impression that the deceased drowned while on his way home but that was not the true position as per our investigations”, Otieno said in court.
The trial continues with three more witnesses set to testify.
(edited by O. Owino)
