A 23-year-old Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer has testified in the Eldoret High Court about his parents' toxic marriage, which he claims ultimately led to his mother's murder, allegedly at the hands of his father.
Sammy Ndirangu, fighting back tears, recounted several instances where his father, Francis Mwangi Ndirangu, would assault his late mother Rael Cherop Biwott in front of him and his siblings.
The deceased, aged 44, was a Senior Accountant Assistant at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) billing section.
Ndirangu described how his father, a businessman assaulted his mother while accusing her of infidelity. "He would batter her even in my presence. This caused me to develop deep hatred for him. We had a strained relationship," he told the court.
"I was very close to my late mother, and we would chat daily via WhatsApp after work," Ndirangu recalled.
The KDF officer was testifying against his father in a case where Francis Mwangi Ndirangu denies killing his wife between the night of June 22 and 23 at their Shauri estate home in the outskirts of Eldoret town.
Biwott, a mother of four, was reported missing on June 23, 2024.
Her dismembered body parts were later discovered at multiple locations across Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties between June 24 and June 27, 2024.
The deceased was last seen leaving her workplace on June 22, 2024 around 7pm, accompanied by her husband.
A report from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) revealed that, despite Ndirangu's initial statements claiming they had taken a matatu home, CCTV footage showed them leaving in a Toyota Succeed, which had been hired by Ndirangu.
In a tragic turn of events, on June 24, around noon, some of Biwott's dismembered body parts were found stashed in a gunny bag beside a road in Kapsilegaa village, Nandi County.
Later that day, more body parts, including her head and upper limbs, were discovered beside a road in Lamaiywet village, Uasin Gishu County.
The businessman later reported his wife missing at Eldoret Central Police Station.
An autopsy conducted on Biwott's body at MTRH revealed that she had suffered severe neck injuries and blunt force trauma to the head.
The accused has been detained at the Eldoret GK remand prison after the court denied his release on bond, citing security concerns. The prosecution has lined up about 20 witnesses against the accused, including his other children.
Four state witnesses, including two of the accused's sons and his sister-in-law Elizabeth Jeptoo, have already given their evidence in chief against him in court
