The Eldoret High Court has issued an arrest warrant for Ibrahim Rotich, the main suspect in the 2021 murder of former World Cross-Country Champion Agnes Tirop, after he failed to appear in court for the second time in two months.
Justice Robert Wananda made the ruling on Tuesday after Rotich missed his court appearance again. His lawyer, Ngigi Mbugua, previously informed the court that Rotich had turned off his mobile phones and moved from his known residence, making him untraceable.
Rotich had been in custody since October 15, 2021, before being granted bail on November 15, 2023. He was released on a bond of Ksh.400,000 with a surety of the same amount or a cash bail of Ksh.500,000 after the court ruled there were no compelling reasons to continue detaining him.
As part of his bail conditions, Rotich was required to report to the Eldoret Central Police Station every Monday.
"We pray that you issue summons to the OCS attached to Eldoret Central Police Station to come to court and explain whether the suspect has been reporting to the station every Monday as per the court ruling of April 15, 2023," said Richard Warigi, the lawyer representing Tirop’s family.
Justice Wananda has now summoned the Officer Commanding Eldoret Police Station (OCS) to appear in court on April 8, 2025, to provide information on Rotich’s whereabouts.
A post-mortem examination conducted by Government Pathologist Dr. Dorothy Njeru revealed that Tirop died from multiple stab wounds to the neck and blunt head trauma, leading to severe blood loss. The findings suggested that the injuries were allegedly inflicted by her estranged husband, Rotich.