Murder suspect Sarah Wairimu Cohen’s bail appeal was denied by a three-judge bench at the Court of Appeal.
Murder suspect Sarah Wairimu Cohen’s bail appeal was denied by a three-judge bench at the Court of Appeal
Wairimu, who is accused of killing and hiding her late husband’s body in an underground water tank at their home in Kitisuru, Nairobi, moved to the Court of Appeal after the High Court repeatedly denied her bond.
The appellate court ruled that there exist compelling reasons as to why she cannot be released on bail at this point in her case, meaning she will remain remanded at the Lang’ata Women’s Prison while her main trial continues.
The courts verified that she holds a secret second passport and has a verified history of interfering with former employees who are protected state witnesses.
Investigators proved that Sarah Wairimu, either directly or through proxies, actively contacted protected witnesses. Some of these witnesses are her former casual workers who testified that she originally ordered them to lie to the police about Tob Cohen’s whereabouts.
The prosecution also discovered that she illicitly obtained a second passport through false information while her original passport was safely held by the DCI. This gave the judge a massive, objective reason to declare her a flight risk.
Wairimu is accused of killing her husband Tob Cohen, a Dutch tycoon, to gain from his properties and wealth. At the time of his murder, the tycoon had initiated a contentious divorce process, something that would have cut her off from his wealth pipeline.
State prosecutors presented evidence showing that Tob Cohen had filed for divorce under a certificate of urgency, citing cruelty and assault.
Wairimu was fiercely fighting over Cohen’s multi-million shilling Kitisuru villa. Cohen’s subsequent will completely cut Wairimu out of his estate, reinforcing the prosecution’s argument that financial gain and the impending divorce were the primary motives behind the crime.
