Eldoret, Kenya — In a case that’s shaking the nation to its core, chilling details have surfaced in the murder trial of former marathon star Samson Kandie, painting a sinister picture of betrayal, rage, and a deadly love triangle gone horribly wrong.

Tuesday’s courtroom bombshell at the Eldoret High Court revealed that Kandie’s wife, Rose Chepkemboi Rotich, may have allegedly masterminded a deadly plot against her husband enraged by rumors of infidelity.

Four witnesses took the stand, unraveling a horrifying story involving paid hitmen, threats via burner phones, and clandestine meetings over drinks that ended in bloodshed.

Tied, Beaten, Left for Dead

On the morning of October 2, 2024, Kandie, 53, was found barely alive in his Elgon View home, his limbs tied up with ropes in what now appears to be a cold-blooded assault. He passed away the following day in hospital, never regaining consciousness.

What seemed like a tragic home invasion is now being exposed as a calculated hit, allegedly engineered by the very person closest to him his wife.

Hit Job for Hire?

According to witness Joshua Nyanchae, a local hawker, Chepkemboi used a former housemaid as a middlewoman to offer him KSh 200,000 to “deal with” Kandie. He admitted to receiving KSh 10,000 upfront but got cold feet and backed out.

“She believed Kandie was cheating with a woman named Millicent. She wanted revenge,” Nyanchae testified before Justice Reuben Nyakundi.
“I took the deposit, but what she was asking… it was too dark. I couldn’t go through with it.”

Hotel Meeting: Booze, Bribes, and a Murder Plot

Another witness, Felix Kodek, described a hotel meeting at Belasco, where Chepkemboi allegedly plied him and a friend with alcohol and handed over KSh 9,000 in cash to get the job done. He too walked away before things turned bloody.

“She made it sound easy. We drank, we laughed then she gave us cash. But later, I knew I couldn’t do it.”

Former Housemaid Drops More Bombs

Sheila Malakwen, once a househelp to the accused, testified that Chepkemboi was obsessed with Kandie’s supposed affair even going as far as plotting punishments for both him and his alleged lover.

She revealed one of the men involved even used her phone to send death threats to Kandie, pretending to be the jealous boyfriend of Millicent.

“I’m Coming for Your Head!”

Alex Wanjala, Kandie’s former farmhand, said the athlete showed him disturbing messages that made him fear for his life.

“He showed me texts that said, ‘I’m coming for your head. Leave Rose alone. And dump your prostitute Millicent,’” Wanjala told the court.

What’s Next?

Chepkemboi, along with Jamlick Morogit and Vincent Ngososei Kiprono, are currently behind bars, charged with Kandie’s murder. The case resumes on June 2, with 13 more witnesses expected to testify.

As the court digs deeper, Kenya watches in suspense, wondering just how far someone will go when love turns into obsession and whether justice will be served for a man who ran marathons but couldn’t outrun betrayal.