Judge visits scene of Monica Kimani's murder

Monica Kimani's alleged killers - Jacqueline Maribe and Joseph Irungu alias Jowie at a Milimani court. May 9, 2022. [Collins Kweyu, Standard] 

It was a moment to behold as the lead prosecutor in the murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani took the court for a scene visit to recreate how the macabre killing was executed.

From Lamuria Gardens where Ms Kimani was killed in her apartment to Royal Park Estate where her alleged killers – Joseph Irungu alias Jowie and Jacqueline Maribe – used to stay, Chief Inspector Maxwel Otieno walked the court through the nitty-gritty of the plan to eliminate their victim.

The investigating officer had told the court that his evidence was so “heavy and watertight” that he could only break it down by having the trial court visit the scenes for an eyewitness account of how Jowie allegedly committed the murder and colluded with Maribe to destroy the evidence.

“It was a well-executed plan where the accused person stole an identity card at their Royal Park Estate residence and used it to access Lamuria Gardens where he committed the murder, went back and burnt the clothes and borrowed a gun to shoot himself,” said Mr Otieno.

Jowie and Maribe are accused of killing Ms Kimani on the night of September 19, 2018, at Lamuria Gardens Apartment in Kilimani area within Nairobi County, a few hours after she returned from a business trip to South Sudan.

Mr Otieno was the lead investigating officer in the murder and the last witness in the case that has taken almost four years.

He started by taking Lady Justice Grace Nzioka to Lamuria Gardens Apartment and showed how Jowie accessed the well-guarded apartments using a stolen identity card and went straight to House Number 8 in Block A where Ms Kimani used to stay.

“He was dropped at the gate by a taxi and when the security guards asked his identity, he produced the stolen identity card and introduced himself as Dominic. It was like he knew the place so well as evidence showed he had previously visited the apartments,” said Mr Otieno.

It was in the house where the apartment’s caretaker Reagan Buluku previously told the court that they discovered the shocking scene where Ms Kimani lay lifeless in her bathroom, with both legs and hands tied and blood flowing from her slit throat.

Mr Buluku told the court he was shocked when he saw how Ms Kimani was slaughtered, and could not withstand the sight of blood on her neck as she lay under the bathtub with running water that washed and drained the blood.

Mr Otieno told Justice Nzioka that the stolen ID card belonged to Dominic Hosea who had testified that he lost it on September 17, 2018, when he went to work at a construction site within Royal Park Estate where Jowie and Maribe lived.

From Lamuria Gardens, the investigator took the judge to Road House Grill, a stone’s throw away from Lamuria Gardens where he said Jowie spent the evening on September 19 drinking with friends before leaving in a hurry for Ms Kimani’s place.

According to the investigator, Jowie arrived at the restaurant at around 6pm using Maribe’s car while in the company of two friends. At around 8pm, he left the venue for Lenana Road where he took a taxi to Lamuria Gardens.

“He was in a hurry and did not finish his drink. He had gone to the restaurant wearing a brown short, a T-shirt and red cap but when he went out, he changed into a white kanzu before boarding the taxi that took him to the murder scene.”

The portrait of Monica Kimani during her burial at Kairi Village in Gilgil, Nakuru County, September 2018. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

The investigator took the judge to Royal Park Estate in Lang’ata where Jowie and Maribe tried to destroy evidence of the heinous murder.

Mr Otieno showed the judge the gate where Dominic’s identity card was stolen, Maribe’s house, their neighbour Brian Kasaine’s house, and the exact location where they allegedly burnt blood-stained clothes to destroy evidence.

“When we interviewed the security guards at their gate, they informed us that Jowie was an unruly person who did not want to be searched, and that they had discovered he walked with a gun and told them that he was a security officer,” said Mr Otieno.

While at Maribe’s former house, the investigator told the judge that they were informed by Mr Kasaine that Jowie had gone to ask for paraffin on the night of September 19 but did not say why he wanted it.

The following day, Mr Otieno said that Mr Kasaine saw Jowie looking disturbed and when he asked why he needed the paraffin, he told the neighbour that he wanted to burn some items.

The investigator took the judge to the exact location opposite Maribe’s former house where Jowie burnt the clothes using perfume, which is flammable. “He knew that he had committed murder and he had to destroy the evidence so that our case against him could not be strong,” said Mr Otieno.

While inside Maribe’s house, the investigator told the judge that Jowie borrowed a pistol from Mr Kasaine and shot himself on the shoulder before going back to the neighbour to seek for help.

According to the investigator, they were able to locate a hole on the wall where the bullet had struck, which Jowie and Maribe tried to cover using powder.

“At one point during our investigations, Maribe admitted that Jowie had shot himself but when we asked her about the bullet head, she told us that she had thrown it into the toilet and flushed it,” said Mr Otieno.

The investigator said that after the self-inflicted injury, Jowie and Maribe had a major row where he threatened the former journalist that he would die and be buried at the Lang’ata Cemetery if she kicked him out of the house.

The investigator is expected to continue with his testimony today when the hearing resumes in court.