A court in Kapsabet has ordered the exhumation of the remains of 62-year-old Hilary Kipsang Tanui who is alleged to have been killed and dumped in a river.
According to initial reports, Tanui's head was found 200 metres away from the place the body was recovered after his disappearance on May 2, 2023.
The court granted a certificate of urgency for the postmortem to be conducted on the body, which was buried on May 4, 2023, after being retrieved from a river.
Kapsabet Law Court Senior Principal Magistrate Samuel Mokua allowed an application seeking the exhumation of Tanui's body which was buried in his homestead in Chepkoiyo village, Kabutie location in Tinderet sub-county.
The magistrate further directed that after exhumation the body be taken to Nandi Hills Mortuary for examination by a government pathologist.
"The pathologists will collect specimens, which will be sent to a government chemist for toxicology and analysis," the magistrate ordered.
Police in Tinderet sub-county have been directed to oversee the entire process, from exhumation to ensure that the outcome of the process is not interfered with.
According to family members, Tanui's body was found decomposing in the river without the head, rubbishing the initial claims that the deceased died by drowning.
Johannes Too, one of the family members, narrated that Tanui left home on April 25 as usual but did not return in the evening.
"He had gone to visit friends in Kabunyeria village, which is three kilometres from home. We reported him missing to the police, but unfortunately, we found him dead," he said,
Too pointed out that, based on the preliminary postmortem performed before the burial, the deceased had been killed before being tossed into the river.
Five suspects in the case have each been released on a bond of Ksh500, 000 as the court awaits the postmortem scheduled for Sunday, July 23.
