Kenya has charged two men with violently stealing from Fr Jeremiah Roche, the Irish priest who was murdered in the course of a robbery at his home there earlier in the month.
Fr Roche, a 68-year-old from west Limerick, was stabbed to death two weeks ago, during a robbery at his home on the outskirts of Kericho town, about 200 km west of Nairobi.
Isaac Kipng'etich and Godfrey Kariuki Kiiru denied robbing Fr Roche of a laptop computer, a camera, two mobile phones, a CD player, an Internet connection modem and personal documents.
Prosecutors said the goods were valued at 180,000 shillings (€1,645). Police sources said they charged the two with robbery because the crime was easier to prove in court than murder.
Robbery with violence is a capital offence under Kenyan law and it carries a maximum death penalty. Violent crime is a major problem in east Africa's biggest economy where armed robberies are common.
The court in Kericho ordered the accused to stay in custody until March next year when their trial would start.
"Five other suspects are in our custody assisting the police with the investigation," North West regional police commander, Peterson Maelo, said.
Fr Roche had worked in Kenya since 1968. His body was found by parishioners after he failed to attend a 6 am Mass.