- The family of slain teacher Martina Ruto Bett has set Saturday, September 26, as the new burial date following weeks of investigation into her death.
- Police have confirmed she sustained five stab wounds and have continued investigating whether she was attacked at the scene or elsewhere before being found in Kimugu River.
- Family members and stakeholders have called for a speedy investigation and have held demonstrations demanding justice for Ms Bett.
The family of slain Lalagin Secondary School teacher Martina Ruto Bett has announced a new burial date, weeks after her death triggered investigations and calls for justice from relatives and members of the teaching fraternity.
Ms Bett will be laid to rest on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at her family home in Chagoror Village, near Abossi Centre in Ololmasani, Emurua Dikirr, Transmara, Narok County.
The body will leave St Clare’s Mission Hospital in Kaplong on Friday, September 25, for a night vigil at the family home in Abossi before the funeral service and burial the following day. The burial had initially been scheduled for September 12 but was postponed to allow authorities to continue investigating the circumstances surrounding her death.
Ms Bett, 40, was a Kiswahili and History teacher at Lalagin Secondary School in Bureti Sub-County, Kericho County. She was also handling a Form class preparing for national examinations and was a mother of four.
She was reported missing on August 26 after leaving her home in Abosi. Her disappearance prompted relatives, colleagues and members of the public to launch a search for her. Days later, her body was recovered from Kimugu River on the outskirts of Kericho town after a resident alerted police. She was reportedly still alive when she was retrieved from the river and rushed to Kericho County Referral Hospital, where she later died.
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Police said preliminary investigations indicated that she had sustained five stab wounds to the chest. Kericho East Sub-County Directorate of Criminal Investigations officer Kennedy Apindi said detectives were investigating the circumstances of her death, including whether she was attacked at the scene or elsewhere before being dumped in the river.
Her death has prompted calls for a speedy investigation from the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), with officials urging detectives to establish who was responsible and what led to her death. Teachers and family members also held demonstrations in Kericho on September 17, demanding justice for the slain teacher.
Reports have also indicated that Ms Bett had sought a transfer from Lalagin Secondary School to a school in Narok County, where she intended to live with her family. Police were also examining circumstances surrounding her marriage, although no public investigation findings have established a link between those issues and her death.
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The family has now confirmed that the burial will take place at the Chagoror home, announcing that she belonged to the Kap Kones, Kapkorsen section of the Kaptolil clan.
Relatives, friends, colleagues and other mourners are expected to gather at the family home on Friday for the night vigil before the burial on Saturday. The family has called on relatives, friends and well-wishers to join them in giving Ms Bett a dignified send-off as investigations into her death continue.
By Jeff Kirui
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