{"id":1235011,"date":"2022-10-26T10:42:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-26T10:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/10\/26\/agnes-tirop-family-await-justice-a-year-on-from-kenyan-runners-murder\/"},"modified":"2022-10-26T10:42:00","modified_gmt":"2022-10-26T10:42:00","slug":"agnes-tirop-family-await-justice-a-year-on-from-kenyan-runners-murder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/10\/26\/agnes-tirop-family-await-justice-a-year-on-from-kenyan-runners-murder\/","title":{"rendered":"Agnes Tirop: Family await justice a year on from Kenyan runner’s murder"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/span>
Agnes Tirop set a new world record for a women\u2019s only 10km road race the month before her murder<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A year on from the murder of Agnes Tirop, her parents Vincent and Dinah are still desperately waiting \u2013 and hoping \u2013 for justice.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

The 25-year-old runner was <\/span>found dead at her house<\/span> in Iten, Kenya, on 13 October last year, with multiple stab wounds in her neck and abdomen.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Over 12 months on from not just her murder but also her burial, the anniversary of which came last Sunday, the man accused of killing Tirop \u2013 namely, her husband Ibrahim Rotich \u2013 has yet to stand trial.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have been going through a lot of pain and sadness every single day since Agnes was murdered,\u201d Dinah tells BBC Sport Africa, fighting back tears.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI am still mourning her. I haven\u2019t been alright since my daughter passed on.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It is of little surprise given the horrific nature of Tirop\u2019s death, which came on top of a promising career having been brutally cut short.<\/span><\/p>\n

A two-time bronze medallist at the World Athletics Championships over 10,000m, Tirop had finished fourth over 5,000m at the delayed Tokyo Olympics last year.<\/span><\/p>\n

The month before she died she <\/span>set the world record<\/span>external-link<\/title><\/svg><\/span> for a women\u2019s-only 10km road race in Germany.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the mental scars are never far away for her distraught parents, nor is the geographical location of Tirop\u2019s body, which lies next to their house.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nearly every day Dinah cleans the grave of the world record holder where dust is continually settling, just as with the case itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Agnes<\/span><\/span>
Agnes Tirop\u2019s house in Iten, a town where many of Kenya\u2019s most successful athletes are based<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rotich, who denies wrongdoing, was <\/span>arrested as the prime suspect in her murder<\/span> and has been in jail since then, but the wheels of justice for Tirop are moving at a different pace to the speed the athlete showed on the track.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going very slowly,\u201d Vincent says. \u201cEvery time we attend the court it\u2019s just a hearing. The case is not on. They keep telling us to come back next month.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes they say the judge is not available and I don\u2019t know why. Time is passing. It doesn\u2019t look good because one year is already gone and there is not much progress.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe were in court in August and we were told to go back in September. Nothing happened. We were told the magistrate wasn\u2019t available. We heard from the lawyer the next date will be 11 November.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t understand why the case is taking this long. The government should push to settle this matter and ensure this case comes to a close. We want justice for our daughter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Shortly after her murder, Kenya\u2019s then president Uhuru Kenyatta urged his country\u2019s authorities to track down Tirop\u2019s killer in order to \u201cface the full force of the law\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The homicide section of Kenya\u2019s Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) did not comment when asked about the status of Rotich\u2019s case.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBig cases drag on for so many years \u2013 that is my biggest fear,\u201d says Kenyan marathon runner Viola Cheptoo Lagat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Dinah<\/span><\/span>
Dinah Tirop says the family are yet to recover all of Agnes\u2019 property<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ensuring Tirop is more than \u2018a statistic\u2019<\/h3>\n

Tirop\u2019s murder instantly raised wider issues in Kenya, specifically surrounding domestic abuse and gender-based violence, and how to tackle them.<\/span><\/p>\n

It also highlighted the pressures faced by the country\u2019s female athletes, and women in society as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople started recognising there is a problem,\u201d says Lagat.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere was this misconception that people who get abused or beaten in their house are poor people who have nothing \u2013 all they do is fight because they have too many problems. The death of Agnes was a big shock. She was very successful.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Along with fellow Kenyan athletes and Vincent Tirop, Lagat has formed a group called <\/span>Tirop\u2019s Angels<\/span>external-link<\/title><\/svg><\/span> which aims to stand in unity against gender-based violence.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt just feels like her death was just a statistic \u2013 she was just another person who died from violence,\u201d says Lagat, sister of five-time world champion Bernard.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want that to happen to Agnes. I promised myself I\u2019m not going to sit and wait for that to happen. I understand gender-based violence and I\u2019m not afraid to speak about this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Tirop\u2019s Angels\u2019 aim is to offer a system of support in a country where a combination of fear, stigma and a lack of trust in the police mean the <\/span>majority of cases are never reported.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t want one more person to go through this,\u201d Lagat, 33, says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWithin a very short time, we were so overwhelmed with phone calls from people going through issues.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of Kenya\u2019s female athletes say they have endured controlling behaviour by their husbands.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWith what happened to Agnes, the world came to light on what is happening,\u201d says long-distance runner Mary Ngugi.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs athletes, we have a platform, and we can use that platform to change this.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEven if we don\u2019t change what is already happening, we can help other girls to know that they don\u2019t have to be in such a relationship. They don\u2019t have to endure being used.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe have seen Athletics Kenya doing some workshops, where they\u2019re talking about these issues but it\u2019s not that much support. I would like to see male athletes coming out and supporting it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we preach more equality, and when we empower more women, this is when we are going to stop domestic violence.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Agnes<\/span><\/span>
Tirop won bronze medals in the women\u2019s 5,000m at the 2017 and 2019 World Athletics Championships<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Running solutions<\/h3>\n

A programme officer with Equality Now, which campaigns for improved human rights, gender equality and legislative change, says gender-based violence is \u201cthe most widespread human rights issue in the world\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn Kenya, it\u2019s a huge problem, deeply rooted in power dynamics,\u201d says Equality Now\u2019s Peninah Masore.<\/span><\/p>\n

Figures supplied by Kenya\u2019s Ministry of Health earlier this year disclosed that 45% of women and 44% of men aged 15-49 have experienced physical violence since age 15.<\/span><\/p>\n

The main perpetrators of physical violence against women are husbands, whereas the main perpetrators against men are parents or teachers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile, 14% of women and 6% of men in the same age bracket report having experienced sexual violence at least once in their lifetime.<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year former President Kenyatta stated he wanted to end gender-based violence in the country by 2026.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere has been that knowledge that the state actually sees this as a huge issue that needs action,\u201d Masore adds.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe government needs to ensure that they\u2019re putting in place measures to prevent gender-based violence. We need to have structures to support people, with safe houses and people in the justice chain knowing their mandate and responsibility.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In a bid to combat the issue, Ngugi has established a women\u2019s-only running club \u2013 the Nara Track Club \u2013 where she is encouraging more females to become running coaches.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we are young athletes, that\u2019s when we started being recruited by people,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe some coach or guy says \u2018I\u2019ll support you in your career\u2019, because they know it\u2019s an investment \u2013 this girl is going to be winning \u2013 and it\u2019s a lot of money involved.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when people start manipulating them, when you\u2019re young and naive you just follow what people say.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI feel the more female coaches there are, then girls will be more safer because they\u2019re surrounded by women.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Agnes<\/span><\/span>
Tirop\u2019s funeral and burial were held in Kapnyamisa village on 23 October last year<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Filling the void<\/h3>\n

In Mosoriot, Nandi County, Vincent and Dinah\u2019s living room highlights the success their daughter had as an athlete, with her medals hanging across the four walls.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe feel joy every time we see those medals,\u201d Vincent says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe thank God for the medals she brought and the efforts she put in to bring them and fly the Kenyan flag. She was an asset to the country and she would have added some more.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Looking around the room as a proud father, Vincent briefly breaks into a broad smile.<\/span><\/p>\n

But the sad reality is that Tirop\u2019s murder has also left her parents struggling financially, as her success helped pay school fees for two younger siblings, as well as nieces and nephews.<\/span><\/p>\n

They also now have to cover the cost of travelling to repeated court hearings in Eldoret, over half an hour\u2019s drive away.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSince she passed on, life hasn\u2019t been easy,\u201d Vincent says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are struggling to make ends meet and it\u2019s very hard because we are jobless. Our children need school fees and other needs.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In their quest for justice, the family also hope to recover some of Tirop\u2019s assets.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe want justice to be done because we haven\u2019t received all of Agnes\u2019 property \u2013 we have just received a small portion,\u201d Dinah says.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAgnes put in a lot of work but most of her property, such as buildings, is out there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Still grieving, Vincent and Dinah have not yet deleted their daughter\u2019s number from their phone contacts because they want to keep seeing her name.<\/span><\/p>\n

The eventual resolution of Tirop\u2019s murder trial may bring some form of closure to her family, but the campaign to eradicate gender-based violence has much further to run.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ibrahim<\/span><\/span>
Ibrahim Rotich, Agnes Tirop\u2019s husband, is accused of her murder and awaiting trial<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Agnes Tirop set a new world record for a women\u2019s only 10km road race the month before her murder A year on from the murder of Agnes Tirop, her parents Vincent and Dinah are still desperately waiting \u2013 and hoping \u2013 for justice. The 25-year-old runner was found dead at her house in Iten, Kenya, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1235013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1235011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1235011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1235011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1235011\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1235011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1235011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2022\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1235011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}