Instructions from the grave! Tob Cohen throws wife out of mansion

Piece by: Grace Kerongo
Lifestyle

Murdered Dutch tycoon Tob Cohen left final instructions before his death.

In his last will and testament, Tob willed his multimillion-shilling estate in Nairobi to his brother and sister as the managers upon his death.

The late golf marketer had specified that the two take charge of the villa estimated at Sh400 million in Kitisuru, a residential suburb of Nairobi.

Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD) quotes Cohen’s sister Gabrielle van Straten saying they have planned to take possession of the villa of their murdered brother in the coming week.

Gabrielle says she had a copy of her brother’s will for some time, describing it as a precautionary step the late golfer took at the height of his divorce case with Sarah Wairimu.

She said her brother, in fear of his life, passed the copy which among the wishes was that the golfer be buried in Kenya - having lived here for 30 years - as per Jewish customs.

With the ongoing investigations, the family is now grappling with pressure of time since Jewish tradition dictates that the dead must be buried within 36 hours.

“We knew that he wanted to be buried in Kenya - the beloved country where he had lived for more than 30 years - but we did not know the details of his will,” the paper reads.

“We only read it [the will] on Friday after the discovery of his remains by forensic investigators in a septic tank near his villa.”

Cohen’s two companies Kenya Golf Safaris - a golf trips and tournaments organizer - and Lotus Care Travel - for medical trips - are also part of the property claim.

Part of the plot is to remove all possessions of Cohen’s wife Sarah Wairimu from their house, which is currently sealed by the police as a crime scene.

The tycoon’s family seeks to transfer the items to Langata Women’s Prison where the 52-year-old Sarah is currently detained awaiting trial.

Sarah is facing a murder charge and is due for mental tests before she takes a plea on the charge which followed weeks of investigations by the DCI.

Her co-accused Peter Karanja, the ex-husband of Gilgil MP Martha Wangari, is also in police custody and is yet to be charged.

They were detained after Cohen went missing for weeks, the search for him ending in a seven-foot deep septic tank in his compound where his body was retrieved on Friday evening.