As the court hears graphic details of the athlete’s death, the wife in the Samson Kandie murder case denies allegations.

Samson Kandie’s wife is one of three people who have denied allegations in his murder case.

The case regarding the murder of Kenyan athlete Samson Kandie saw dramatic hearings at Eldoret High Court on Tuesday. Rose Chepkemboi Rotich, his wife, and two other people denied planning to assassinate the marathon champion.

A mother of four, Chepkemboi stood with co-accused Jamlick Kiptoon Morogit and Vincent Ng’ososei Kiprono as the accused entered a not guilty plea in front of the courtroom, which was packed with the late athlete’s relatives.

In a charge sheet, the state—represented by attorney David Fedha—named Ms. Rotich as the alleged mastermind behind Kandie’s murder.

“We intend to prove this with due diligence,” Fedha stated, “because the evidence at hand implicates Ms. Rotich (Chepkemboi) in a premeditated plan to eliminate her husband.”

The crime has horrified the tight-knit community of Elgon View in Eldoret, and Rotich is accused by the prosecution of conspiring with Morogit and Kiprono to carry it out.

According to reports, the murder happened inside Kandie’s home in Elgon View Estate on the evening of October 3, 2024.

Kandie was discovered seriously hurt, according to the police, and sent to Real Hospital in Eldoret, where he was declared dead not long after.

An already contentious case gained even more intrigue when the inquiry showed that Kandie’s phone was the only object missing from the scene.

According to police accounts, after the incident, the suspects left the area but were subsequently caught.

Further opposing the defense’s bond request, state attorney Fedha urged probation authorities to do a thorough background investigation in order to assess the accused’s suitability for release.

The defence was instructed to formally file the bond application and wait for an evaluation report from the probation team after Justice Reuben Nyakundi postponed it.

According to Justice Nyakundi, “the accused’s release on bond will require verification that they meet all stipulated legal conditions.”

Momanyi, the defence attorney, was also directed to make sure that all sureties fulfilled the court’s criteria, which included providing affidavits attesting to the bail conditions’ observance.

The court scheduled a decision on the bond application for December 2.