The daughter of slain former international marathoner Samson Kandie yesterday shocked an Eldoret court, implicating her biological mother in the torture and eventual murder of her father during a gripping trial session.
Vienna Kipchirchir Kandie, a student at Kabarak University, left the packed courtroom in disbelief as she testified against three prime suspects, including her mother, Rose Chepkemboi Rotich. Presiding over the case was Judge Reuben Nyakundi.
Vienna recounted troubling incidents preceding her father’s death, alleging that her mother regularly mistreated him in their presence and often accused him of infidelity. This, she stated, led to years of unrest at their Elgon View residence.
“Our mother used to say she was tired of dad and wished he would one day die in a road accident while driving the family vehicle,” Vienna revealed to the court.
Rose Chepkemboi Rotich, a mother of four and a clinical officer at Kabarnet County Referral Hospital in Baringo County, is charged alongside co-accused Jamlick Kiptoo Morogit and Vincent Ngososei Kiprono. They are all linked to the murder of the renowned athlete on October 2.
The three suspects denied the murder charges when they were arraigned in court last year. They have since been held at Eldoret GK Remand Prison after being denied bail due to security concerns following their arrest by detectives from the DCI unit in Eldoret.
The deceased was allegedly hacked to death by unknown assailants within the compound of his Elgon View home.
The court further heard that Rose would often tell her children that their lives would be better without their father. Vienna described their upbringing as toxic, characterized by constant parental quarrels stemming from accusations of infidelity.
“She repeatedly told us that dad was seeing another woman known only as Millicent,” she testified.
Recalling the events of the tragic day, Vienna narrated how her father died while receiving treatment at a private hospital following a brutal attack at their residence. She testified that on the evening of October 2, she and her mother returned home to find the compound unusually dark, with the security lights turned off. This, she said, was alarming as it was uncommon.
“When I asked my mother about the blackout, she brushed me off and told me to call dad,” Vienna recounted.
She explained that despite calling her father more than ten times, he did not pick up—something she found unusual due to their close relationship. On the final attempt, someone else answered the phone and instructed her to check the outside toilet behind the house.
Earlier, the court had heard that Rose had told her daughter that their father might not return home that evening, claiming he would be spending the night at his girlfriend’s house.
The prosecution has lined up more than 20 key witnesses, including officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and a government pathologist, to testify against the accused as the trial continues.
