Bar fight over barmaid leaves two dead in Kipkelion

A man from Kapkwen area in Kunyak ward in Kipkelion West Constituency, Kericho County, attacked and killed two people during a violent fight over a woman said to be a barmaid.

Kericho County Police Commander James Ngetich said the incident occurred at around 1am on Sunday after the suspect found the woman at a local bar in the company of his first victim, a 40-year-old man.

Police said the suspect assaulted the man using a stick and broken beer bottles before turning his anger on a second victim, a 20-year-old man, who tried to intervene and stop the fight.

“The man hit and killed his rival in the affair with the woman before turning his anger on the younger man who tried to intervene,” Ngetich said.

The police commander added that after committing the offence, the suspect fled the scene and is currently on the run.

“We have launched a manhunt with a view to arresting him and bringing him to justice,” said Ngetich.

Bavina Serem, a nominated Member of the Kericho County Assembly from Kipkelion West Constituency, condemned the escalating cases Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Kunyak ward, describing the trend as alarming.

“Over the past six months, there was a man who slashed his wife and left her for dead before he was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment. Recently, another man who intended to kill his wife turned his anger on himself and died by suicide and is yet to be buried,” Serem said.

She also recalled a separate incident in which a 17-year-old Kericho High School student from Imbaragai in Kunyak ward was brutally hit on the head by his peers following an altercation during a cultural event.

Serem blamed the brewing and consumption of illicit alcohol for the rising criminal activities in the area and called on all stakeholders to work together to uproot the vice.

“All stakeholders must combine efforts to eliminate this problem,” she said.

Kipsitet Officer Commanding Police Station (OCS) Nickson Shipiti, speaking during New Year celebrations, decried the increasing cases of Gender-Based Violence in the area.

“We are asking village elders, members of the clergy and other individuals with influence in the community to intervene and help couples resolve their issues amicably before they escalate into violence,” he said.