Eldoret high court judge Justice Robert Wananda has directed 3 Investigating Officers (IOs) attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) homicide department namely to move with speed and execute the warrant for the arrest against Ibrahim Rotich, who is said to have gone into hiding.
Corporals Johnston Sanga, Philip Ndedo and Police Sergeant Julius Koima have been asked to take action on Rotich, a main suspect in the murder of athlete Agnes Tirop.
Wananda was shocked to learn that Rotich did not require anybody to stand surety for him but instead bailed himself out by depositing the cash money to the court, thus, securing his freedom on the capital offence charge he was facing.
The Judge blamed the disappearance of the murder suspect on laxity by the police officers attached to the DCI Homicide department as he ordered them to bring him to court whether dead or alive.
This was after the accused person breached all the conditions he was given by the court when he was released on bond after being in Eldoret GK. remand prison for two years.
Rotich was also directed by the court not to leave his home county of Uasin Gishu County which also happens to be the court’s jurisdiction.
He was further barred from setting foot in Iten town, Elgeyo Marakwet County, where the murder of the slain athlete took place.
Rotich was asked to stay away from the family of the slain international runner and besides, he was barred from contacting prosecution witnesses.
The Officer Commanding Eldoret Central Police Station (OCS) James Lenaso shocked the court when he said that since he took over office on April 1, 2024 , he has never recorded the attendance list of the murder suspect.
One of the Investigation Officers from Nairobi headquarters Johnstone Sanga asked the court to give them at least one month to execute his order on the arrest of the prime suspect who is still at large.
Justice Wananda set a hearing of the case on June 12, 2025 in hope that the accused person would have been arrested and brought before the court.
