Nakuru lecturer was strangled, tests reveal
What you need to know:
- Post-mortem reveals lecturer was strangled to death.
- Ms Irene Jepchumba Boitt, who was a lecturer at Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology, died on July 6 at Choka Falls.
- Her boyfriend, Mr Godfrey Kipkemoi Kangogo, has since been charged with murder.
- Police now want permission to collect DNA samples from him for testing.
In the tributes section of her thesis, Monica Lydia Boitt singled out her two daughters, Irene and Hope, for the support they gave her during her doctorate studies in counselling psychology at Egerton University.
“I wish to mention my daughters Irene and Hope, not forgetting Laura, my niece, who continuously gave me company during my studies,” she wrote in November 2016.
Little did she know that in less than two years, she would be looking for answers over the death of her daughter, Irene Jepchumba, 27, whose body was pulled out of Molo River more than two weeks ago.
An autopsy has suggested she was killed. A heart broken mother wants to know why.
In looking for those answers, detectives have filed an application in court to take DNA samples from Godfrey Kipkemboi Kangogo, the suspect.
BODY RETRIEVED
The Nakuru lecturer's body was retrieved from the river near Choka Falls. When the suspect was arrested last week, he said he was with Irene before she slipped and plunged to her death while taking a selfie. They were friends, he said.
Irene's father, Richard, however, said he had never heard of the tall, dark suspect until he was arraigned in court. The suspect had injuries which he claimed he suffered while trying to save her.
The body was found three kilometres from the falls, which is 25 metres high. It is located 4km from Mogotio town in a bushy, isolated area.
A postmortem revealed strangulation marks around Irene's neck. Police took various samples, including her blood, hair and finger nails for DNA testing and have asked Nakuru Resident Magistrate Yvone Khatambi to let them take similar samples from Mr Kangogo for matching.
ISSUE ORDERS
In the application made on July 23, the investigating officer, Mr John Gitau, said: “I pray for the court to issue orders that we be allowed to take the samples from the suspect.”
Mr Kangogo, who was arraigned before court on July 20, has denied killing Irene on July 6, 2018 at Choka Falls.
Mrs Boitt believes that her daughter was raped before she was killed and her body thrown into the river. Irene's body was half-naked when she was pulled out of the water.
The suspect was arrested on July 12, at Kiamunyi, after the results of the post-mortem were released.
The magistrate referred the application to the High Court where the suspect was charged. The case will be mentioned on July 30.
Irene, who attended Nakuru Girls High School before reading for a diploma in Nutrition and Diatectics at Kenyatta University, and a bachelors degree in the same discipline from Egerton University, was a lecturer at the Rift Valley Institute of Science and Technology.
