The month of May will see the resumption of the most talked-about court case in the history of Kenya.

The trial of Joseph Irungu alias Jowie and media personality Jacque Maribe for the murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani will proceed in open court in May.

The case had come up for hearing virtually on Wednesday but was adjourned after the parties sought to have the matter heard in open court.

Justice Grace Nzioka directed the matter to be heard on May 5 in open court.

In the previous hearings, the court heard that the businesswoman lived with a man in her Lamuria apartment.

Four witnesses including a gardener, caretaker, a delivery person and Maribe’s friend testified before Justice James Wakiaga. The four who testified for the prosecution said the businesswoman lived with a man called Yaseen. She was 24 when she was killed.

Lamuria garden caretaker Stephen Wanjohi said Yaseen visited the apartment this year to collect his belongings. The court heard that Yaseen was not present during Monica’s burial.

Gardener Regan Buluku narrated how he made his way into Monica’s apartment through the balcony and was the first person to see her body.

Buluku said the body was in the bathtub with the tap running, and he remembered seeing candles around the tub.

Delivery executive Dennis Wanjala said he was sent to collect an item from Monica when she landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on the Wednesday she died.

The fourth witness, Maribe’s friend Chelang’at Ruto, confirmed being with the journalist alongside Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko on the night of the murder. They only parted ways at 4am when Jowie picked Maribe up from an entertainment joint they visited.

A report by the government analyst presented in court during the trial in 2019 linked Jowie to the scene of the crime, Monica’s apartment.

Just five months and two weeks since the start of the trial, government analyst Dr Joseph Kimani submitted a report indicating the findings of the 73 samples taken from the scene of the crime.

The samples included buccal swabs of Jowie and Maribe and those of Brian Kassaine and Jennings Orlando Odhiambo. So far, 20 witnesses have testified in the matter.

-The Star/Carol Kubwa