A key witness in the murder trial of a police constable accused of killing her estranged husband was stood down by the Presiding Judge in an Eldoret Court citing work overload.
A house help Sharon Jepchirchir who was working for the accused, Lilian Biwott at the time of the incident, had been called to the dock to give her evidence-in-chief against her former employer but was stood down by Justice Reuben Nyakundi.
Justice Nyakundi explained that he could not proceed with the hearing of the murder case since he had more than 50 rulings and judgments, he had to deliver during the day hence the need to stand down the witness until June 4, 2024.
Jepchirchir is among five prosecution witnesses lined up to testify in the murder trial.
The 32-year-old female police officer is accused of fatally shooting her husband, Victor Kipchumba on October 9, 2023 night at their rental house in Kimumu estate along the Eldoret-Iten highway in Uasin Gishu County.
Biwott was attached to the Critical Infrastructure Protection Unit (CIPU) in Uasin Gishu County where she served at the Kenya Bureau of Standards Eldoret branch when the crime was allegedly committed.
The accused denied the murder charge and is being held at the Eldoret GK women’s remand since she was arrested and arraigned in court last year.
Earlier family members of the victim protested outside the court against the move by the key witness to meet with the suspect in the high court cells.
They complained that it was wrong for Jepchirchir to interact with the accused person in the cell and yet she was scheduled to testify against her in the murder trial expressing concern that the accused was attempting to influence the witness on what to say during the trial.
However further conflict was averted when a police officer rushed to the holding cells and asked the witness to leave until the new hearing date when she will appear in court.
By Kiptanui Cherono
