Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) employees on Wednesday staged protests at the High Court in Eldoret against rising GBV cases in the region.
They donned T-shirts calling for an end to GBV cases and jammed the court where a businessman was charged with the murder of his wife who was a senior accountant at the hospital.
They were joined by feminists who vowed to stage street demonstrations in Eldoret on Monday next week to protest against what they termed as targeted murder of women and girls in the region and other parts of the country.
The employees and women present were led by nominated MCA Mercy Chepkurui.
They said they would petition leaders in the region to sensitise communities on rising cases of GBV.
“We have so many cases of GBV and femicide in this region and most of them go unreported. Time has come that as a society we must join hands to protect women and girls,” Chepkurui said.
This was even as the court ordered a pre-bail report for the businessman who is linked to the murder of his wife, Rael Cherop Biwott who was a Senior Accountant at the hospital.
Justice Robert Wananda directed the probation department in Uasin Gishu County to interview the family members of the slain accountant, 44, and witnesses in the murder case.
The judge said that the outcome of the probation officer’s report will determine the suitability of freeing the suspect Francis Ndirangu on bail and bond.
In his ruling, the judge ordered that the pre-bail report should be ready in 14 days before the matter is mentioned on September 10 before Deputy High Court Registrar Rosemary Onkoba.
Ndirangu denied killing his slain wife on the night of June 22 and 23 at Shauri estate on the outskirts of Eldoret town, Uasin Gishu County.
The mother of four was reported missing on June 23, 2024, and her dismembered body parts were subsequently discovered at multiple locations across Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties on June 24 and June 27, 2024.
The deceased was reportedly last seen leaving her workplace on June 22, 2024, around 7 pm., accompanied by her husband, Ndirangu who is the prime suspect in her brutal killing.
Despite Ndirangu’s initial statement claiming that they took a matatu home, CCTV footage revealed that they had departed in a Toyota Succeed, a vehicle that had been hired by Ndirangu.
According to court documents, on June 24, around noon, some of Cherop's dismembered body parts were found stashed in a gunny bag beside a road in Kapsilegaa village, Nandi County.
Later that day, more parts of her body, including her head and upper limbs, were discovered beside a road in Lamaiywet village, Uasin GishuCounty.
Despite these gruesome finds, it was not until 6:40 pm that Ndirangu reported his wife missing at Eldoret Central Police Station.
The investigation done by homicide investigators on June 27, discovered the remaining parts of the deceased’s body, including her legs and internal organs in a polythene bag beside a road at Mutwot village, Nandi County.
Lawyer Ham Lagat for the family of the deceased however said they had strong grounds to oppose bail application made by defense lawyer for the suspect.
“We will be in court to strongly oppose release of the suspect on bond though we know it’s a constitutional right,” Lagat said.
He said the family of the deceased had suffered greatly as a result of the murder and hoped justice would be done at the courts.