Ex-Kakamega DC testifies over wife’s murder

A former district commissioner told an Eldoret court how he frantically tried to contact his wife who was found murdered.

Former Kakamega District Commissioner Paul Yatich told the court that he got a phone call from a woman called Mama Chela inquiring whether he had spoken to his wife.

He added that he made several frantic calls to his wife phone numbers but were not going through raising suspicion.

“It was getting late and as I still tried to contact my wife, there were no response from all her lines. I then decided to report the matter to the police and the CID headquarters,” said Yatich.

He testified that the following day, October 13, 2018, he went with the police officers to his wife’s home and found all the doors closed.

He said when police broke the doors and windows to access the house they found blood around the edge and near the kitchen.

Yatich, who couldn’t hold back his tears,told the court that he saw the body of his wife lying on the floor with cuts all over her body and her legs were tied up.

“Her hands had deep cuts as well as her neck. Her legs were tied up tight that should she couldn’t even move or defend herself,” he told the court.

A herdsman, Boniface Kiptoo, is linked to the murder of Yatich's wife, Loise, and  is facing robbery with violence charges.

 Kiptoo appeared before Chief Magistrate Charles Obulutsa.

The deceased worked with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) as a curriculum support development officer in Uasin Gishu county.

Kiptoo is facing robbery with violence charges and handling stolen property belonging to the deceased.

Another witness Ester Kemei, a close friend to the deceased, told the court that the deceased, employed the accused on October 6 as her herdsman.

She told the court that the deceased had called on Saturday for them to go harvest some produce in her farm.

Ms Kemei added that she did not hear from her on Sunday which was unusual as she used called on her.

On October 15, last year, the herdsman is said to have delivered milk to the AP camp that is close to the place where the deceased lived.

She testified that the accused failed to deliver the milk on Sunday and on interrogation he claimed bees attacked the cows and couldn’t be milked.

He added that Kiptoo told them that Mrs Yatich had left for Nairobi on early Sunday morning.

He added that after they questioned the deceased whereabouts the accused went missing forcing them to report the incident to the police who visited the scene on Tuesday and retrieved the body.

Her body was later taken for postmortem. Further hearing will be on April 18.