Missing female teacher's body found in river

The late Martina Chepkemoi Ruto, a 40-year-old Swahili teacher at Lalagin Secondary School in Bureti constituency. [Courtesy]

The search for a 40-year-old teacher who went missing two weeks ago has ended in tragedy after her body was recovered from the Kimugu River on the outskirts of Kericho town.

Martina Chepkemoi Ruto, a Swahili teacher at Lalagin Secondary School in Bureti Constituency, was found floating in the river, with preliminary examinations indicating injuries to her chest.

Relatives said the body had five stab wounds on the chest. There were also reports that Chepkemoi could have been sexually assaulted before she was killed.

Kericho East Directorate of Criminal Investigations Officer Kennedy Apindi confirmed that the body of the deceased teacher had been recovered from the river and police suspected foul play.

“My officers confirmed and saw the body of a female adult floating on the river,” Apindi said, adding that further examination revealed injuries to the deceased’s chest.

“It is suspected that the female teacher was murdered. The scene was located and photographed, and the body was removed to Kericho County Hospital mortuary for preservation and eventual investigations,” he said.

Before her disappearance, Chepkemoi had reportedly sought a transfer from Lalagin Secondary School. She had also told people close to her that she was experiencing difficulties in her marriage.

The circumstances surrounding her disappearance remained unclear, with detectives expected to establish where she was before her body was discovered and who was responsible for her death.