Slain Kenyan athlete Tirop's husband stands trial for murder

ITEN - The husband of slain Kenyan distance running star Agnes Tirop went on trial over her murder two years ago, almost immediately after the court freed him on bail.

Ibrahim Rotich had been in custody since his arrest in October 2021 over the killing of Tirop, whose body was found with stab wounds at her home in the high-altitude athletics training hub of Iten in western Kenya.

The 43-year-old, who has denied the charge, was detained after a dramatic late-night chase with police the day after the discovery of Tirop's body.

Tirop was a rising running star and her death threw a spotlight on the pressures faced by Kenya's female athletes who pay a huge -- and often tragic -- price for their spectacular success in a male-dominated society.

Rotich did not make any comment as he sat in the dock in the courtroom in the town of Eldoret, which lies not far from Iten.

The trial began after the Eldoret court, in a surprise move, ordered Rotich released from custody.

He had previously been denied bail four times because of concerns over his own safety as well as the possibility he could be a flight risk.

But on Wednesday, judge Robert Wananda ruled that there were no compelling reasons to continue detaining him, paving the way for the trial to begin.

"For the past two years the accused has been detained in prison remand in connection with the murder of his wife, this has been enough (time) to ascertain his character and the environment outside the prison if released," said Wananda.

"Things have cooled and there appears not to be any danger to his life."