Former Eldoret City Manager Testifies Over Alleged Assault
He said efforts to explain his position did not stop the confrontation, and the group allegedly seized him and dragged him out of the office.
Former Eldoret City manager Tito Koiyet. Photo: The Star Kenya.
By Robert Mutasi
Former Eldoret City manager Tito Koiyet has told a court that he was forcibly removed from his office after a group of men allegedly stormed the premises and assaulted him.
Koiyet was giving evidence in a case facing Collins Kipkemboi and Mark Kipleting, who are accused of assaulting him and two Eldoret City Board employees on February 18, 2025. The two suspects have denied the charges.
Testifying before Eldoret Principal Magistrate Peter Ireri, Koiyet said the incident started after he was informed that a group identifying itself as hawkers was holding a meeting at a county facility near his office.
He said the meeting was addressed by a member of the City Board and a senior county enforcement officer. Shortly afterwards, several people allegedly entered his office and ordered him to leave.
According to Koiyet, the men told him that county government officials no longer wanted him in the office and threatened to eject him if he did not leave voluntarily.
He said efforts to explain his position did not stop the confrontation, and the group allegedly seized him and dragged him out of the office.
Koiyet said employees who attempted to intervene were also attacked during the incident. One of the workers allegedly suffered a fractured arm.
“I tried to defend myself but they could not hear anything. They manhandled me and pulled me out of the office even as my staff tried to intervene,” Koiyet told the court.
He said he contacted the area Officer Commanding Station after the situation became disorderly. Police officers later arrived at the scene, but Koiyet claimed the OCS advised him to leave the premises and return home for his own safety.
The former city manager said the response led him to believe that the incident had been organised.
Koiyet further alleged that senior officials in the Uasin Gishu County Government had authorised the plan to remove him from office. The allegations have not been proven in court.
He also claimed that some of the people involved were members of a criminal group operating in Eldoret and had allegedly been paid to carry out the operation.
According to his testimony, the alleged payments were made through mobile money platforms. He said investigators could potentially establish a financial trail linking the suspected organisers to those who took part in the incident.
Koiyet also raised concerns over his personal safety, telling the court that some of the individuals he believed were involved in the assault were present during the proceedings.
“I do not feel safe once I step out of this court,” he told the magistrate.
Kipkemboi and Kipleting are facing charges of causing actual bodily harm to Koiyet. They are also accused of causing bodily harm to Julia Ego and Salina Koitie during the same incident.
The two have pleaded not guilty. The hearing is scheduled to resume on October 26, 2026.
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