Sarah Wairimu wants Police boss Kinoti to be jailed for 6 months

Sarah Wairimu Kamotho and her lawyer Philip Murgor at the Milimani law courts where the court released her on a cash bail of Sh2 million. [George Njunge, Standard]

Sarah Wairimu, a suspect in her husband's murder has filed an application seeking to commit the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti to six months jail term for contempt of court.

In an application filed on Tuesday at the High Court criminal registry, Wairimu said that Kinoti, prosecutor Juma Victor and Journalist John Kamau have disobeyed the order of the court issued on September 16, 2019.

The orders issued by Judge Jessie Lessit had barred the DCI, prosecution, defense and victims to desist from addressing the media on the investigations and evidence alleged to this case.

“I also want the court to fine the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the office of DCI for the said Contempt,” said Wairimu.

She claims that on July 20, 2019, her late husband Tob Cohen left their matrimonial home without returning for a period of three weeks.

“The applicant reported him missing and a similar missing person report was filed by the Dutch Embassy in Nairobi,” said Philip Murgor, Wairimu’s lawyer.

Wairimu in her contempt documents said that she was later arrested on August 28, 2019, and detained by the police at Muthaiga Police Station on allegations of forgery.

She said that following the disappearance of her husband, John Kamau penned an Article titled “Mystery of Dutch Millionaire who vanished into thin air,” authored and published on page 5 of Daily Nation newspaper on Friday, August 9, 2019.

He is said to have had written extensively about Wairimu’s husband mysterious disappearance and the ongoing investigations.

And, according to Wairimu, on August 29, 2019, at Kiambu Law Courts, the DCI sought to hold her for a period of 14 days to allegedly enable them to conclude investigations into the disappearance of Tob Cohen.

Wairimu said that after the recovery of the body, the prosecution charged her without any evidence.

She added that Kamau also published an article about the investigations leading to the recovery of the body on September 16, 2019, on Daily Nation.

At the same time, lawyer Shadrack Wambui made an application before High Court Judge Jessie Lessit seeking to lift a gag order that was issued on September 16, 2019.

Wambui from Musyoki Mogaka & Co-advocates argued that gagging the media will affect a greater public that largely depends on it as a source of information.

“The gag orders were issued without the participation or the involvement of the media and the media house representatives,” said Wambui.

Jeremiah Ocharo, a Kenyan who is seeking to be enjoined in the application filed by Wambui said he has been relying on the media to gain information on the murder of Cohen.

“Like all other Kenyans I will continue relying on the media to keep me updated on the case of Cohen’s murder,” said Ocharo.