The murder trial of renowned Kenyan athlete Agnes Tirop has once again stalled after the main suspect, Ibrahim Rotich, failed to appear in court for the fifth time.

The repeated delays have drawn strong criticism from Eldoret presiding judge Robert Wananda, who condemned the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) homicide unit for failing to arrest and present the suspect in court.

Justice Wananda expressed deep frustration over the handling of the matter, accusing DCI officers of dragging their feet and hindering the progress of a case that has already seen long delays.

He demanded more seriousness from the officers responsible for producing Rotich in court, stating that justice cannot be served without their cooperation.

Rotich, who is the prime suspect in the killing of Tirop, was released two years ago on a cash bail of Sh500,000 after the court allowed his application for bail.

At the time, the judge attached strict conditions to his release, including a ban on entering Iten town in Elgeyo Marakwet County, where the murder occurred.

Justice Wananda also directed that Rotich should remain within Uasin Gishu County and report to DCI offices at Central Police Station in Eldoret every Monday without fail.

However, the suspect has remained at large and has not shown up for any court session since February 27, 2025.

Agnes Tirop, a celebrated long-distance runner, was found dead in her home in Iten on October 13, 2021.

A postmortem conducted at the Iten County Referral Hospital mortuary revealed she had been stabbed in the neck and hit on the head with a blunt object.

The court’s growing impatience with the continued absence of the accused and the failure of authorities to execute their duty has added more uncertainty to the case, which has already dragged on for years without trial proceedings.