An employee of former Eldoret East MP Joseph Lagat was arraigned in court on Tuesday and denied threatening to kill a prominent Eldoret businessman.
Sammy Kipruto Lagat, who was not represented, appeared before Eldoret Senior Resident Magistrate Richard Odenyo.
Lagat, who appeared shaken in court, was accused of threatening Duncan Kitur with a panga on September 15, 2023 in the Chemaluk area, along the Eldoret-Iten highway in Uasin Gishu County.
The prime parcel of land is at the centre of a dispute between the businessman and the former MP over ownership.
The packed court heard that Lagat uttered the words; “Niliambiwa na mdosi wangu kwamba wewe ni adui na ni mgeni kwa hii shamba na unafaa kukatwa na panga ndio usirudi hapa tena,” (I was told by my boss that you are an enemy and a visitor on this land and you deserve to be cut with a panga so as not to return here.
Lagat is said to have confronted the businessman who was inspecting his 3-aces piece of land adjacent to the former lawmaker’s property with a sharp panga.
He is said to have demanded an explanation from the complainant about his mission on the land while wielding a machete in his right hand and declaring the complainant a trespasser.
The businessman was forced to flee his property to save his life at the hands of the accused before reporting the incident to Chepkanga police station.
When he learned that police were looking for him in connection with the incident, the accused went into hiding.
He was later arrested by the sleuths following a tip off from members of the public and arraigned in court over the matter.
The magistrate ordered that the accused be released on a Kshs. 70,000 bond with a similar amount of surety.
The mention of the case has been set for November 30, 2023.
