By Kelvin Sang, Eldoret
A 23-year-old Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer fought back tears in an Eldoret court as he took to the stand against his own father, who is accused of brutally murdering his mother.
Sammy Ndirangu, a disciplined soldier trained to face adversity, found himself battling emotions as he recounted the horror of his family’s darkest moment—the alleged killing of his mother, Rael Cherop Biwott, 44, by his father, Francis Mwangi Ndirangu.
The slain woman, a Senior Accountant Assistant at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH), was reported missing on June 23, 2024. Days later, her dismembered body was discovered, a grim revelation that shook the community.
Testifying before Presiding Judge Emily Ominde, Sammy painted a painful picture of a home marred by domestic violence. His father, a businessman, allegedly tormented his mother with accusations of infidelity, often resorting to physical abuse.
“I was very close to my late mother. We would chat via WhatsApp every evening after work,” Sammy recalled, his voice shaking. “But at home, things were different. My father was violent. He would beat her in front of me while hurling insults.”
The torment his mother endured strained Sammy’s relationship with his father. “The environment at home was toxic. I couldn’t stand it,” he told the court.
Court records reveal that on the night of June 22, Rael Biwott left work around 7 PM with her estranged husband. CCTV footage later contradicted his claim that they took public transport home, instead showing them departing in a Toyota Succeed, a vehicle he had hired.
That was the last time she was seen alive.
Two days later, her dismembered body parts were discovered in multiple locations, first in Kapsilegaa village, Nandi County, and later in Lamaiywet village, Uasin Gishu County. It was a scene too gruesome to comprehend.
Despite this, Ndirangu only reported her missing at 6:40PM. that evening, hours after her remains had already been found.
An autopsy at MTRH confirmed Rael had suffered severe neck injuries and blunt force trauma to the head—suggesting she was brutally attacked before being dismembered.
With overwhelming evidence, the court denied the accused bond on security grounds, detaining him at Eldoret GK Remand Prison.
The prosecution has lined up 21 witnesses, including Sammy and his siblings, to testify. Already, four key witnesses, including two of Ndirangu’s sons and his sister-in-law, Elizabeth Jeptoo Biwott, have given their accounts.
