A Egerton University don broke down as she recounted the last moments with her daughter before she drowned.
Taking to the witness stand at the High Court sitting in Nakuru and before Justice Joel Ngugi, on Thursday, September 30, Monica Boit, narrated how she spent moments with her daughter only for her to pass on shortly after in a tragic event.
Boit narrated that her daughter, Irene Jepchumba, who was also a lecturer at the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology, was in a jovial mood and always accompanied her for field assessments, save for the day she drowned.
The teary mother narrated how the bond with her daughter grew even stronger when she secured the teaching job at the Rift Valley institute.
Boit proceeded to tell the court that on that fateful day, they were together with her daughter and when she asked her to accompany her for her field work, she excused herself saying she wanted to go to her place of work.
"We were together between July 2 and 5, 2018. On the fourth day, she excused herself saying she wanted to familiarise herself with the institution where she had just been employed as a lecturer," Boit told the court.
The mother added that after that brief discussion, they wished each other well and set out for their daily routines, which was the norm. However, she grew anxious after her daughter failed to show up at home later in the evening, prompting her to make frantic calls in her search.
"I came back home after work and decided to rest. I expected my daughter home, as usual, by at least 7pm. However, she did not show up and did not call to say she was running late as she always did,” recounted the mother.
"I tried calling her to no avail. Some calls went through but she didn't pick up. At times, the calls were not going through. I sent her text messages but she did not reply. It was very strange."
After waiting for hours Boit said that the area Chief arrived at her home, only to convey the sad news that the body of her daughter had been discovered at the Molo River, a few metres from Choka Falls.
The mother narrated that the tragic turn of events plunged her into depression.
Initial investigations pointed accusing fingers to Jepchumba's lover, who is a lecturer at the same university.
Upon interrogation, the lover denied pushing her down the cliff and into the falls, rather telling police that Jepchumba slipped and fell into the river.
The postmortem results, however, indicated that the fallen passed on after so much struggle, but the lover has maintained it was unintentional.
The case will resume on October 7, 2021.
