A son of the late Uasin Gishu businessman Jackson Kibor will spend three years in prison without the option of a fine after an Eldoret court found him guilty of assaulting Faith Jemutai, the sister of his stepmother Eunita Kibor.
Albert Kibor was convicted and sentenced by Senior Principal Magistrate Peter Areri in a brief court session that lasted less than five minutes. The courtroom was packed to capacity as early as 8:30 a.m. as members of the public awaited the ruling.
Albert, who was represented by lawyer Maina Maathai, was jailed after the court ruled that the prosecution had proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he caused grievous harm to Jemutai.
The late controversial businessman and prominent cereal farmer Jackson Kibor left behind four widows, including Eunita, his youngest wife, and 29 children. Albert is among the children.
In a surprising turn of events, none of his family members, including his stepbrothers and stepsisters, were present in court to support him. Only a few friends and relatives attended the session.
The charge sheet stated that Albert, jointly with another person not before the court, assaulted Jemutai, causing her actual bodily harm, prompting her to report the matter to the police.
The offence was committed on March 8, 2025, at Kibor Building located in Eldoret town’s central business district in Turbo Sub-county, Uasin Gishu County.
In his mitigation, Albert pleaded with the court for leniency, saying he was a first offender and had never been involved in criminal activity.
“Your Honour, I am sorry and I plead with the court to hand me a lenient sentence with an option of a fine since I am a first offender and have never engaged in any criminal activity in my life. Even the community where I come from can attest that I am a peaceful citizen,” Albert told the court.
“I can also promise that if granted freedom, I will attend all court sessions whenever required without fail,” he added.
Albert further told the court that he has a wife and children who depend on him for their upkeep. He said that if he were sent to prison, they would suffer in his absence.
He also informed the court that his mother was sick and that he was the one responsible for paying for her medical expenses and general upkeep.
“Your Honour, I know people will blame me for engaging in such activity, but I want to confirm that I never assaulted the complainant as she claimed during the trial. I still maintain that I am innocent of the charges levelled against me,” Albert said.
During the trial, Jemutai narrated how she was allegedly attacked and assaulted by Albert Kibor, who she claimed was accompanied by another man at Kibor Building, where her elder sister had employed her as a caretaker of the multi-million shilling property.
She told the court that Albert stormed into the building and confronted her, demanding to know why she was working at his late father’s property.
According to Jemutai, her explanation about how she had been hired as the caretaker fell on deaf ears as the accused continued to beat her.
“I do not exaggerate, Your Honour. Albert stormed into the building while I was attending to tenants and ordered me to leave his late father’s building, arguing that I had no business being there. When I resisted, he beat me and uprooted my hair. It was very unfortunate,” Jemutai testified.
