Dickson Korir who is accused of killing his wife after she threatened to elope with her lover, as he appeared in court in Nakuru on August 12, 2024.
On the night of August 8, 2024, Eunice Chepkaitany Koima, allegedly while under the influence of alcohol, mistakenly revealed to her husband, Dickson Korir, her secret plan to elope with her lover — a man named John.
A police affidavit, filed in a Nakuru court on August 12, alleged that this was not the first time that Koima had left her matrimonial home in Chelilit village, Subukia, Nakuru County, to move to John’s home in the neighbouring Baringo County.
Investigating Officer Felix Maundu told the court that just a few days prior, Mr Korir had reportedly picked up Eunice from Baringo where she had been living with John after fleeing from her matrimonial home.
The detective told the court that Eunice’s alleged revelation that she intended to leave her husband again and return to John led to a heated argument.
Woman fled
“They left to sort out their differences after he had picked up his wife from Baringo where she had fled to live with a man by the name of John. Eunice was drunk and threatened to return to Baringo and live with John.
“In a rage, he dragged his wife to a nearby maize plantation where he strangled her. When he was done with the horrific act, Mr Korir returned home and went to sleep. He returned to the scene around 2pm and found Eunice’s body still lying there.
“However, rather than confess, he went to the Kiboronjo Police Station and reported that his wife had taken her own life,” Mr Maundu, an officer attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, stated in his affidavit.
Suicide claim
Mr Maundu told the court that the suicide claim did not hold. Police scrutiny during initial investigations revealed inconsistencies in Mr Korir’s account, and detectives concluded that they were dealing with a murder case. He said that Mr Korir is being treated as the prime suspect.
Mr Korir was arrested and taken to court on August 12 after spending the weekend behind bars.
Mr Maundu requested additional time to complete investigations. He said that the police needed to record statements from key witnesses and conduct a mental assessment of the suspect to determine if he was fit to stand trial.
Nakuru Chief Magistrate Bildad Ochieng' granted the request and also ordered that Mr Korir be held at Subukia Police Station for 14 days to allow investigations to be completed.
