Widow of slain marathoner collapses in court again, hearing postponed

The widow of slain marathoner Samson Kandie collapsed in court for the second time yesterday, forcing the postponement of the hearing.

Rose Chepkemboi, who is charged with Kandie’s murder, collapsed in the dock as High Court judge Reuben Nyakundi prepared to hear further witnesses.

Court orderlies rushed to assist her and escorted her from the courtroom, where she was given first aid.

Justice Nyakundi directed that Chepkemboi be taken to the hospital and ordered that a medical report on her condition be filed before the court.

He adjourned the hearing to February 24 but said the court would rule on her bond application on Thursday.

Chepkemboi first collapsed during proceedings in the case on February 18 last year.

She is set to stand trial alone after her two co-accused entered plea bargain agreements with the state.

The pair were charged with lesser offences and are now prosecution witnesses against her.

Chepkemboi has denied killing her husband on October 3, 2024, at their Elgon View home in Eldoret.

Last December, prosecutor Sidi Kirenge told the court that Chepkemboi had been exploring a plea bargain after her co-accused, Jamlick Murgit and Vincent Kiprono, secured deals with the state.

The court allowed the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to withdraw murder charges against the two after they pleaded guilty to lesser offences and agreed to testify against Chepkemboi.

Chepkemboi’s lawyer, Elijah Momanyi, objected, saying he was unaware of any discussions between his client and the State. He warned he would withdraw from the case if his client continued acting without his knowledge.

Kiprono pleaded guilty to manslaughter and told the court he had been hired by Chepkemboi to “discipline” her husband over alleged extramarital affairs.

The plan, he said, turned fatal after Kandie sustained severe injuries.

Kirenge said a female friend introduced Kiprono, a shoe dealer, to Chepkemboi. Kiprono and others later went to Kandie’s home, assaulted him and left him for dead.

Forensic evidence placed Kiprono at the scene and showed he communicated with Chepkemboi 22 times on October 3 between 1pm and 9pm.

“The facts are true as read out, your honour,” Kiprono told the court.

The judge ordered a pre-sentencing report and directed parties to file final submissions before sentencing.

Murgit was sentenced to six years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to murder. His plea deal also required him to testify against Chepkemboi.

Kandie and Chepkemboi were parents of four children.

Their daughter, Vienna Kandie, testified that their home was marked by frequent quarrels and accusations of infidelity.

She told the court her mother repeatedly accused her father of having an affair, claims he denied.

Vienna said on October 1 last year, after a heated argument, her father left home, saying he was going to look for peace.

The next day, Vienna was at her shop, about a kilometre away, when she called her mother so they could walk home together.

Chepkemboi arrived at about 7.40pm and urged Vienna to call her father, but he did not answer.

When they reached home, Kandie’s car was in the compound but the house was dark.

Vienna rushed inside and switched on the lights but did not find her father.

When she called his phone again, someone else answered and told her to look for him in the toilet, asking why Kandie had been “messing around with his wife.”

Vienna said she ran to the outside toilet and found her father with his hands tied, his head swollen and bleeding from the eyes, writhing in pain.