Athlete to face trial for death of his girlfriend

An athlete accused of hacking his fiancee to death and stuffing her body parts in a container has a case to answer.

The High Court in Eldoret on Wednesday said the prosecution had established a case against David Siloba.

"This court, therefore, makes a finding that the prosecution discharged the burden of proof of establishing a prima facie case to warrant the court to exercise discretion to place him on his defence," ruled Justice Reuben Nyakundi.

Siloba has denied murdering Fiona Kisuya on February 24, 2019, at their home in Kapsoya, Uasin Gishu County.

The prosecution began their case in 2020 and lined up 13 witnesses against the 41-year-old athlete.

The trial had been delayed for about 10 months after the court directed that Siloba be transferred to the Mathari National Teaching and Referral Hospital in Nairobi for further examination and treatment as recommended by a psychiatrist whose assessment report found that the accused was mentally ill.

Months later, Siloba was declared fit to face trial before Justice Stephen Githinji. He has been in custody at the Eldoret GK Prisons after he was denied bond and bail.

During the hearing, Aaron Rugut, who is Siloba's neighbour, recounted how the accused asked him for help to dispose of Kisuya's body.

Rugut said he declined to help him, and instead informed the police, who found the body parts of the 25-year-old in a container.

Collins Cheruiyot, a bartender in Kapsoya, testified that he was called to the scene by Rugut. He told the court that he had served Siloba and his fiancee drinks the previous night.

He told the court the two were in good mood, and left the bar at around 10 pm.

Cheruiyot further stated that when he got to their home the next day after being informed of the incident, he saw smoke billowing out of a green drum, and would later learn that it was the deceased's body.

Humphrey Kisuya, the deceased's brother, said his sister's relationship was not stable as the couple often quarreled. He added that their father, who was against the relationship, had on many occasions tried to separate the two to no avail.

"It troubled all of us learning about their frequent arguments. Our father even tried to end the troubled relationship, but the two would later go back to living together," said Kisuya.

Swynnaerton Nazoi, Siloba's elder brother, told the court that his brother suffered from a psychiatric ailment since birth and has been on drugs. The accused had been living with his family in the US and came back a few months before the incident.