Manhunt underway after athletics star allegedly killed by boyfriend

A female Kenyan-Bahraini athlete has been found killed at a house in Lillies Estate in Iten town, Elgeyo Marakwet county.

The deceased, identified as Damaris Mutua, 28, is said to have been brutally murdered by an Ethiopian athlete, Koki Fai, who reportedly fled the country after the incident. 

But it was not until yesterday that Fai called friends and colleagues from an undisclosed location to report that he had committed the heinous act. 

Keiyo North Deputy County Commissioner Julius Maiyo visited the scene in the company of homicide detectives and spent the better part of the afternoon combing the house for any clues.

People Daily established that the deceased was last seen in the company of the suspect within Iten Township.

Maiyo said preliminary investigations indicate the victim visited the Ethiopian athlete at his rented house, almost a kilometer from Iten Police Station.

“Detectives have commenced investigations into the incident. We have established that neighbours were not even aware of the incident,” Maiyo said. 

“The suspect called one of his friends in Iten to inform him about the incident, who in turn alerted us. This makes us believe he was the one who committed the crime, “ said Maiyo.

Cases of homicide cases targeting athletes have been on the rise in the recent past in Iten town.  In October last year, star athlete Agnes Tirop was found murdered in her bedroom with stab wounds.

Her husband, Ibrahim Rotich, 41, the prime suspect in the murder of the 25-year-old two-time World Championships medalist, was apprehended by police in Changamwe, Mombasa county days later.

He is still in custody as the case continues.