Police arrest TV host’s fiancé as murder probe mystery deepens

Joseph Irungu, the boyfriend to Citizen TV journalist Jacky Maribe in this file picture released by police. [Photo: Courtesy]

The mystery surrounding the killing of 28-year-old interior designer has deepened, with the arrest of a man who had publicly proposed to a TV News anchor.

Joseph Kuria Irungu, who asked for Citizen TV host Jackie Maribe’s hand in marriage on June 30, was yesterday positively identified by witnesses at a police parade as the last man seen walking out of Monica Nyawira Kimani’s apartment on September 19.

Monica’s body was found inside the apartment the next day, her hands tied at the back and throat slit.

Irungu’s name came up during investigations after one of those who had recorded statements told police they knew him as Joe and Ms Maribe’s boyfriend.

Irungu, who is popularly known as Jowi or Joe, recently proposed to Ms Maribe.

Witnesses who saw Monica on the day she was killed said she had been visited by two men who he introduced to her neighbour.

Monicah’s house

The neighbour, a Lebanese, told police he had gone to Monicah’s house to greet her moments after she arrived from Juba.

Monicah had been dropped at her apartment on Lamuria Gardens off Dennis Pritt road at 7:15pm on Wednesday, September 19.

She picked up some clothes that she had ordered dropped at the gate and her house keys before retiring to her apartment A8 on the third floor.

Irungu had worked in Dubai as a security officer for a private firm. He schooled with Monicah at the Kenya Polytechnic, now Technical University of Kenya in Nairobi.

Police have since established he was in the house with Monicah and two other men.

The other men - a Lebanese and a Kenyan - recorded statements explaining how and why they were in Monicah’s house.

One of the men, identified as Owen, was carrying a South Sudan-registered motor vehicle number plate.

Police have since established she had asked Owen for the plates for her South Sudan-registered car.

The two men told police they were inside Monicah’s apartment when Irungu walked in. They said he hugged her and introduced himself as Joe before going to the kitchen and walking back with a glass of wine.

Irungu was wearing a white kanzu and a cap.

The Lebanese and Owen told police from the interaction inside the house, they could tell that Monicah and Irungu were close.

According to the two, when Irungu entered the house, they excused themselves and left.

“The Lebanese was the first to leave followed by Owen. Irungu remained in the house until late in the night before he drove out past 2am,” said a police officer aware of the case.

The following day Monicah’s relative, alarmed that she was not picking calls and had not traveled to the airport for her flight to Dubai, went to her flat and found her dead.

Guards at the compound told police that Irungu presented a fake national identity card bearing the name of a Dominic when he drove in and out of the compound.

Investigators say his mobile phone was switched off for the better part of Thursday when Monicah’s body was found.

Using technology, the detectives found that Irungu was in Monicah’s house on the day she was killed.

“His call logs showed he was at the apartment. His car was also spotted there,” said an officer aware of the issue.

Police became more interested in Irungu after an incident where he walked to Lang’ata police station the day after Monicah’s body was found to report that he had been shot outside a compound he shared with Maribe at Royal Park Estate.

Irungu told police he was attacked and shot in the left side of the chest on Friday September 21.

He told police he had arrived at the Royal Park Estate in Langata on Friday morning to drop Maribe when he noticed three men standing at the entrance.

He told police he had earlier on picked the TV news host from a club in Kilimani area and drove her to her residence.

Irungu told police that after dropping Maribe, he drove back to the gate to check what the strangers were up to before he was shot. The men, he said, did not steal anything from him.

Preliminary investigations

Maribe told police that after the shooting she drove Irungu to Nairobi West Hospital, where he was treated and allowed to go home. She said he was later taken to Lang’ata Hospital, where he was admitted on Friday afternoon and discharged on Monday evening.

However, police say preliminary investigations indicate that there was no shooting incident at the scene. Neighbours and guards interviewed told police they did not hear any gunshot.

“No spent cartridge was recovered at the scene, but the probe is ongoing,” said an officer aware of the incident.

The officers said they were waiting for a medical report from the hospital to establish the nature of the wound on Irungu’s chest.

Yesterday at dawn, police searched Irungu’s house and arrested him.

Irungu was taken to the Kilimani police station, where an identification parade was conducted. He was positively identified as the man who visited Monicah’s house on the Wednesday she was last seen alive.

Police said they were also looking for weapons used in Monicah’s killing, which they identified as including a knife and a cellophane tape.

The officers are also looking for Monicah’s house and car keys and some clothes.

Monica’s father, the Reverend Paul Ngarama, said she was set to fly to Dubai to meet her fiancé.

Kilimani OCPD Michael Muchiri said investigations into the killing were going on.

The firstborn in a family of three children, Monicah had left Nairobi for Juba three weeks ago before returning home on the night she was killed