Kenyan second wife denies killing her Dutch businessman husband

Police and a former house help have presented crucial evidence to the Kibera High Court in the case against Sarah Wairimu Kamotho Cohen, the wife of the late Dutch businessman Tob Chichio Cohen, who was murdered. Tob Cohen, who was seventy-one years old, was the former CEO of Philips East Africa and the founder of Tobs Kenya Golf Safaris. After the death of his first wife, he married his former secretary, Sarah, on May 30, 2007, and lived in a high-security house in the Kitisuru area of Nairobi.

However, their marriage had broken down amidst accusations of property control, cruelty, and denial of conjugal rights, and a divorce case had also been filed in court.

Cohen disappeared on the night between July 19 and 20, 2019. Although Wairimu told staff, friends, and investigators that he had left for Thailand for medical treatment, this was not confirmed by immigration records. Approximately 55 days later, on September 13, 2019, Cohen's body was discovered by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) hidden in an underground rainwater tank on their residential property. The body, wrapped in plastic sheeting and a curtain, with hands tied forward and ropes around the neck, showed signs of torture. The entrance to the tank had been sealed with wood, soil, and cement, and bamboo plants were grown over it to conceal it.

According to the charge sheet filed by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in January 2025, Wairimu is accused of murdering him on the night of July 19-20, 2019, in Lower Kabete, in violation of sections 203 and 204 of the Penal Code, but she has vehemently denied these charges. Previously, a murder charge filed with Peter Karanja in 2019 was dropped in November 2022 and converted into an inquest. However, based on new evidence, she was re-arrested on January 23, 2025, and detained at Lang'ata Women's Prison. The decision by Justice Diana Kavedza to deny bail on July 8, 2025, was also upheld by the Court of Appeal in July 2026.

Police Superintendent James Murigu, who testified before Justice Kavedza in mid-June 2026, stated that Cohen had filed a complaint with medical reports at Parklands Police Station in February 2019, claiming Wairimu had assaulted his face and legs. In response, Wairimu also filed a counter-complaint with Gigiri Police. Although the police attempted to arrest Wairimu four or five times, Cohen did not cooperate, stating that she was abroad. Subsequently, Cohen wrote on April 17, 2019, to withdraw his complaint. Even after his disappearance, on July 22, a letter purportedly from Cohen was received by the police via courier service, stating that he no longer wished to pursue the case.

Meanwhile, it was also revealed that Cohen had sent a video to his sister, Gabrielle, in the Netherlands, stating that if anything happened to him after February 8, 2019, his wife would be responsible, and if he did not call twice a day, something was wrong. Additionally, a will written around April 30, 2019, transferred all his property to his sister, leaving nothing to Wairimu. It was also revealed in court that he had sent a letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions on July 12, 2019, accusing Gigiri police officers of colluding with his wife.

Testifying on September 28, 2026, Crispinus Chehemi, who worked as a house help at their residence, stated that he heard Cohen scream "You are killing me" around 10 PM on February 8, 2019. He said that when he went to check, he saw Cohen bleeding and lying on the floor near the staircase, with Wairimu holding a chair above him. After this incident, Cohen completely stopped eating food prepared by Wairimu. Chehemi further revealed that at Cohen's instruction, he had brought someone else to break open a safe to retrieve land titles for selling property, and Wairimu had told him she was aware of it.

Chehemi, who had left his job, was recalled to work by Wairimu in July 2019, where she told him that their problems had been resolved and Cohen had gone abroad for treatment. However, Chehemi observed that Cohen's red bag and some clothes were missing. Other evidence presented in June 2026 also confirmed that Wairimu had instructed her three employees to tell anyone who inquired that Cohen had gone to Thailand.

During the court hearings in June 2026, homicide investigation officer Benyuticus Wanjohi and others presented video footage of the crime scene to the court, describing three cement mounds made of wood and soil above the tank. During the presentation of this evidence, Wairimu collapsed unconscious in court. Subsequently, Justice Kavedza, upon a request from her new lawyer Praveen Bowry, allowed her to visit the house under police protection and access bank affairs around June 22, 2026.

Wairimu, who continues to deny the murder charge, has shown through divorce affidavits that Cohen's alcoholism, cruelty, and other relationships led to the breakdown of their marriage. She has called these offensive accusations merely a divorce tactic and has accused former politicians connected to the previous administration and former DCI head George Kinoti of fabricating this evidence with the aim of acquiring property. Her lawyers have also strongly questioned the police's failure to properly secure the crime scene. Additionally, another case is pending against her for making a false complaint about losing her passport.