By TONY MUSISI
Five suspects, including an estranged couple, have been detained for 14 days to allow detectives to complete investigations into the grisly murder of a senior hotel employee in Eldoret City, which police suspect could be linked to a love triangle.
The suspects appeared before Resident Magistrate Naima Korir Chelagat, who granted investigators two weeks to hold them as they pursue leads into the killing of Peter Liarin Sema, a chief accountant at a leading hotel in Eldoret.
The suspects will be detained at Naiberi Police Station pending completion of investigations, the court ruled.
The five are Allan Kiprotich Tuiyot, Elvis Ambani, Jackson Sifuna, Fredrick Seroney and Betty Jeptoo. Tuiyot and Jeptoo are estranged husband and wife, while the other three suspects are said to be their farmhands.
Tuiyot is also a cousin to a senior judicial officer.
Investigating officer Eric Ruto told the court that police were conducting investigations into Sema’s murder and required more time to gather crucial evidence.
“Your honour, we need more time to complete our investigations into the murder. We are yet to recover the weapon that was used in his killing, including his mobile phone,” Ruto told the court.
Sema’s body was discovered near Kipkorgot Centre, a few yards from his vehicle and close to a home along the busy Eldoret-Eldama Ravine highway, where investigators suspect he may have been assaulted before his death.
According to Ruto, the five are persons of interest in investigations into an offence of murder contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.
Court documents state that the offence was committed on the night of August 6, 2026, in the Kipkorgot area of Ainabkoi Sub-county, Uasin Gishu County.
Ruto told the court that preliminary investigations established that Sema’s white Toyota Axio was found parked about 150 metres from where his body was discovered near Kipkorgot Centre.
Investigators were subsequently led to the home of Tuiyot and his estranged wife Jeptoo, the first and fifth suspects respectively, at Tuiyot’s farm in Kipkorgot.
The court heard that the two were not at the home when detectives arrived and their mobile phones had been switched off.
Investigators reportedly spotted blood stains on the veranda of the main house, prompting them to intensify their inquiries at the property.
Tuiyot, a hotelier by profession, later presented himself to police in the company of his lawyer and was arrested and placed in custody.
A few hours later, Jeptoo arrived at Naiberi Police Station accompanied by her lawyer and was also arrested in connection with the murder.
Ruto opposed any application for the suspects to be released on bond or police cash bail, saying there was a risk they could interfere with witnesses or exhibits while investigations were still under way.
“There is a high risk of witnesses and exhibits being interfered with or intimidated by some of the respondents if they are released on bond or police cash bail before the conclusion of investigations,” Ruto told the court.
The investigating officer said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) team required two weeks to recover the suspected murder weapon, arrest other possible accomplices, record statements from key witnesses and obtain communication data from relevant authorities.
The court also heard that blood samples collected from the scene had not yet been submitted to the Government Chemist for forensic analysis.
Police also want the suspects to undergo mental assessments at a public hospital as part of the ongoing investigations.
“Your honour, this is a complex investigation owing to the behaviour and lack of fixed abode of some of the respondents. The investigators require more time to finalise their work,” Ruto said.
However, Jeptoo’s lawyer, Sonkule, opposed the application for continued detention, arguing that his client was not at the scene of the incident.
He told the court that Jeptoo had been at a hospital attending to her sick child at the time of the alleged murder and urged the magistrate to release her pending completion of investigations.
The magistrate allowed the police application for 14 days’ detention and directed that the matter be mentioned on August 25, 2026, for further directions.
