Aristocrat cleared of Kenyan murder

A leading figure in white Kenyan society was cleared of murder today.

Tom Cholmondeley, sole heir to the fifth Lord Delamere, is set to be freed from custody tomorrow. A court in Nakuru heard there was insufficient evidence to support a murder charge.

Mr Cholmondeley, 36, was charged after game warden Samson Ole Sasina was shot on his farm near Lake Elmenteita. It is understood the charge was dropped after evidence emerged that Sasina had brandished a gun during the incident last month.

Sasina was part of an undercover team investigating claims that wild animals were being shot for meat. Witnesses said estate workers were being arrested when Mr Cholmondeley fired. The court has heard that he acted in self-defence, believing his staff were being robbed.

Mr Cholmondeley is greatgrandson of the third Lord Delamere, a British settler who founded Kenya's Happy Valley set.