Monica Kimani murder: Witness claims Jowie and Maribe killed businesswoman

MAUREEN WARUINGE ENTERTAINMENT JOURNALIST

17 June 2022

•Otieno told the court that Joseph Irungu and Jacque Maribe jointly murdered the 29-year-old Juba-based businesswoman

•The Juba based businesswoman was found murdered on September 2018.

A last witness has told a Nairobi court that Jowie Irungu and Jacque Maribe murdered businesswoman Monica Kimani.

Investigating Officer Maxwell Otieno is the last witness to testify in the Monica Kimani murder case and told the court that Jowie and Maribe jointly murdered the businesswoman in September 2018.

The officer submitted photographic and forensic evidence of the movements of the two at the time of the murder. The deceased was found in a bathtub with a slit throat.

The witness took the court through items collected during the investigations and submitted them as exhibits.

In his statement, officer Otieno said through forensic analysis exhibited in call data, the accused was captured leaving the scene of the murder at Lamuria Gardens at 2335 hours.

This was confirmed by Jowie's friend Jennings Orlando:

“Jennings met Jowie at 11:40 pm where the accused met him on foot at a petrol station before boarding the vehicle belonging to the 2nd accused person Jacque Maribe,” submitted the officer.

The witness told the court that the two accused persons gave contradicting statements about Jowie's injuries.

Jowie got injured at Maribe's Langata home in Royal Park Estate. The two claimed Jowie had been attacked by thugs. Officers say he shot himself.

According to the officer, Jowie and Maribe were spotted at Club 40 Forty in Westlands together almost immediately after the incident on the 20th of September until 4am.

On the same day, Jowie met his neighbour Brian Kassaine who questioned the accused on why he had asked for anything flammable. The accused responded by saying he wanted to burn something, which he did outside their residence.

The accused further claimed that a friend had stabbed someone the previous night. Upon conducting a search in a trench in front of the accused persons’ compound, investigating officers recovered some partially burnt materials resembling a white kanzu.

Officer Otieno said the second accused person Jacque Maribe witnessed the burning of the clothes by the first accused on the night of the incident near her residence. Further, Jacque switched off her phone at about 2225 hours which officer Otieno estimates to be the time of the murder and switched it on at 0952 hours on September 20, 2018.