Twenty-seven more witnesses have been lined up to testify against Ibrahim Rotich, the prime suspect in the murder of athlete Agnes Tirop.
According to the prosecution, the witnesses include Tirop's elder brother, the doctor who performed the postmortem and officers from the DCI who arrested Rotich.
Only two witnesses- Tirop's younger sister Eve Jepngetich and father Vincent Tirop- have given their evidence.
The case is before Justice Wananda Anuro.
When giving his testimony, Vincent Tirop broke down in tears as he narrated how the accused allegedly eloped with his daughter in 2016, forcing her to drop out of school in Form 2.
He told the court that he reported the disappearance of his daughter at Kesses police station after she failed to return home in the evening as she used to do after school.
“When I reported the matter at the police station, I did not get help as the officers at the report desk told me that my daughter was over 18 years and she was at liberty to do as she pleased,” Tirop said.
He told the court he embarked on a search mission for his missing daughter and later got a tip-off that she was in Iten town, Elgeyo Marakwet.
He said he talked to his daughter on the phone but his efforts to convince her to go back home and continue with her education fell on deaf ears.
“I called her and upon picking my phone, I asked her why she had left school and she told me she was no longer interested in education and wanted to focus on athletics,” Tirop told the court.
He told the judge that his daughter later visited him at his Morosoit village home in Nandi county while accompanied by the accused, whom she introduced to him as her coach.
He said claims by the accused that he was married to his daughter were not true since he had never introduced himself to him or sought his blessings to stay with his daughter.
The court was forced to step down the witness after he was overwhelmed by emotions and fatigue and could no longer give further testimony in the murder case.
Hearing will continue on December 4 and 5.
