Woman agonises over baby’s death as ex-lover is charged with murder

When Diana Cherop, 26, and her boyfriend Paul Kiprop decided to end their three-year romantic relationship in 2021, they had to agree on what would happen to their daughter, the product of their failed affair.

Before parting ways, they agreed on an arrangement that would allow both of them access to the child without much fuss.

Ms Cherop moved out of their shared home in Kampi ya Moto in Rongai, Nakuru County, and headed back to her home county in Nandi while Mr Kiprop, who claimed to be an athlete, headed to his home in Kabarak.

But in the midst of their plans, little did they know that death was lurking. The daughter would lose her life under bizarre circumstances, which is now the subject of a murder case before the High Court in Nakuru.

Testifying before Justice Samwel Mohochi, Ms Cherop told the court that her biggest regret in life was when she agreed to hand over the child to Mr Kiprop. Ms Cherop explained that she gave in to pressure and handed over the child to Mr Kiprop on December 3, 2021.

The agreement was that he would stay with the child for a week to introduce her to his parents. However, this turned out to be the last time that she would see the child alive.

The second mistake, she said, was not knowing the family of the man she knew was an athlete who trained at Iten, despite cohabiting for several years.

The man, upon getting the child, allegedly went and took her clothes and relocated to his home, which, according to Ms Cherop, was in Kabarak. 

“On that day I had gone to visit my sister at Kampi ya Moto when Mr Kiprop came in the evening and collected the baby clothes,” she said. She followed up with a phone call and Mr Kiprop assured her of the baby’s safety.

He even sent photos and videos of the baby. The man also linked her to his father who would also assure of the baby’s well-being.

But in April 2022, Mr Kiprop told her that the baby was ill and he decided to take her to his sister’s place in Nyahururu where she would be treated. He left her there claiming that the treatment would take two weeks.

“In May, I called him seeking to know where the baby was as I wanted to take her with me but he said he would bring the child himself,” she said. He thereafter started ignoring her calls. In July, he told her that he would bring the baby after the elections.

“After the elections, he gave me his brother’s number who said that he was in Nairobi with the child but could not be released to travel. For the following three weeks, he never allowed me to talk to the child,” she said.

She lost patience and decided to report the matter to Menengai Police Station on December 22 last year. Mr Kiprop was ordered to bring the child on January 6.

He appeared on January 9 in the company of his father claiming that his sister-in-law had disappeared with the child to Tanzania and he needed time to trace her. When he failed to report the police, the officers suspected foul play and proceeded to arrest Mr Kiprop on March 15.

Upon interrogation, the suspect led the police to the African Inland Church in Kabarnet where he had confessed to burying the child in a shallow grave.

“During the exhumation, I saw the blanket and shawl that belonged to my baby and which had been used to wrap her decomposed body,” narrated Ms Cherop.

A DNA test was conducted to confirm her identity. A post-mortem exam was also carried out, which revealed that the child’s skull had been smashed in with a blunt object. Mr Kiprop was on March 15 charged with the murder of the child which allegedly occurred on July 23, 2022. He denied the charges and was released on a Sh300,000 bail.

Hearing resumes on January 29.

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