BY WINSTONE MUSISI
The athletic fraternity in the country has been thrown into mourning after one of their own celebrated international runners, Agnes Tirop was found murdered in a cold blood by her estranged lover at her house in Iten town, Elgeyo Marakwet County.
The slain Kenya’s 5,000 metre women’s representative in Tokyo Olympics was stabbed with a knife in the neck and abdomen inside her house today at 10 am in Kasarani estate, some 400 metres away from Iten police station along the Iten-Eldoret highway.
Tirop who hails from Nandi county was living alone in the palatial house which she built from money she earned from local and international races she has been participating in the past.
Keiyo North OCPD Patrick Lumumba who confirmed the murder incident said they have launched investigations to establish the circumstances under which the deceased made her gruesome death.
Lumumba said that the slain runner’s father had made a report to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations office in Eldoret on Tuesday to the effect that his daughter had gone missing.
The police boss said that the father took the action after his frantic efforts to reach her on her mobile phone for the last two days became futile causing fear and anxiety in the family.
“We have launched murder probe with a view to arrest the prime suspect in the incident who is suspected to have fled towards Eldoret town using public means after committing the alleged criminal act in the morning,’ said Lumumba
Her estranged lover who is the prime suspect in her brutal killing is said to have stormed her house which has CCTV camera in the morning while armed with a knife.
A scuffle then ensued between the two before her lover removed a knife from his coat and stabbed her seven times in the abdomen and the neck leaving her for dead and fled the scene.
A neighbour of the slain runner said they were concerned after she failed to open the gate prompting them to force their way in to find out what was happening only to stumble on her badly mutilated body.
Scene of crime officers from Eldoret central police station had a difficult time controlling a mammoth crowd who thronged the gate
leading to the slain runner’s house to have a glimpse of the whole episode.
Police barred hundreds of local residents including local and international runners from accessing the compound of the deceased
declaring it a scene of crime.
‘We will not allow anybody to enter the compound until we are through with assessing the scene of crime. Please give a distance or we use force to clear everybody from the gate,” ordered one of the police officers.