A former Assistant Minister on Monday testified in the Tob Cohen murder case, revealing that the Dutch while he was still alive, had confided to him that should he die his wife Sarah Wairimu Kamotho should be held responsible and accountable.
Patrick Kariuki Muiruri, who is the key witness for the State, told the Kibera High Court that Cohen (now deceased) called him hours before he was seen alive revealing that should he die, his wife Sarah should be held responsible.
Mr Muiruri told Justice Diana Kavedza that on July 19, 2019, Cohen called and told him “although I am going home, I am afraid and fearing for my life”.
Sarah is charged with murdering Tob Cohen on the night of July 19/20, 2019.
Mr Muiruri stated that Cohen, a friend of over 30 years, fondly called him P.K.
“We spoke on phone for about 15 to 20 minutes where he told me that if anything bad happens to him, and he is found dead somewhere, I should tell the world that the cause is Sarah,” Muiruri spilled the beans.
Prosecuting counsel Vincent Monda representing the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), inquired to know if Muiruri recognized the voice of the caller on the line.
“It was Cohen my friend whom I had talked to for many many years,” Muiruri answered to affirmative.
Muiruri, who served as Gatundu North MP for the period running between 1987 to 1997, told Justice Kavedza that Cohen had confided to him that his life was in danger.
In response, Mr Muiruri only told him to hope that nothing bad would happen to him.
The judge further heard that Cohen had informed him in that phone conversation that earlier in that day that funny and scary characters had visited his Farasi Lane palatial residence claiming to be police from Spring Valley but they did not arrest Sarah whom he had reported at the station for assaulting and injuring him on his face.
“Instead of arresting Sarah to charge her for assaulting causing grievous harm, they talked with her and left,” Mr Muiruri recalled.
He added that also police officers from Parklands police station had also visited their home to arrest her but she locked herself in the house.
The 21st prosecution witness to take the witness dock said “Cohen had explained that he was afraid of what would happen to him following the visitation by the scary looking men from Spring Valley Police Station.”
Cohen told Muiruri from the beatings and violence he had received from Sarah, he was fearing for his life.
Mr Muiruri who is now 80 and turning 81 in the next two months, told the judge on July 15, 2019, while playing golf with four other golfers – him (Muiruri), the deceased (Tob Cohen), Colonel (Rtd) Githiri and Colonel (Rtd) Kigotho at the Vet Lab, marriage troubles was discussed.
On that day Muiruri recalled that Cohen had informed him, as the two retired top KDF chiefs were hearing, “P.K., I will divorce my wife Sarah.”
Muiruri asked Cohen why he was divorcing Sarah and he revealed that “for the last four years they had never been intimate and had also stolen his title deed of the Farasi Lane Kitisuru Lane.”
Cohen further told them Sarah had allegedly stolen money from his company and was building a Hotel at Othaya in Nyeri County.
The judge heard Sarah had allegedly stolen the money from Kenya Golf Safaris Travel Limited.
He said also Cohen showed them a photo of the hotel and a “video of his face full of blood.”
In the video showing his face injured and blood oozing from wounds, Cohen was crying “Sarah! Sarah! Why are you injuring me like this?”
Asked what had happened to his face, he said he had been injured by Sarah and police had failed to arrest her and charge her.
The witness who had a graphic account of what Tob Cohen went through, said while the four golfers were at Vet Lab, narrated about Cohen’s adopted daughter’s wedding, a cultural ceremony.
She was being married to an Italian man.
The master of ceremony was a Mr Karanja who did not recognize Cohen.
Muiruri had attended the marriage ceremony with a former assistant minister Ngengi Muigai.
“At the homestead of Cohen, the three (Cohen, Muigai and Muiruri sat at one table. A Mr Karanja was doing everything,” Muiruri recalled.
He said Cohen got fed up with the way Karanja was conducting the event.
“Cohen walked to Karanja, grabbed the microphone and he welcomed all the visitors to his home but to the surprise of everyone, Sarah walked to where her now late husband was addressing the invited guests and she stated “this is not your home”,” Muiruri narrated.
Arising from that drama and altercation Muiruri and Muigai walked away in dismay.
On August 25, 2019 a former assistant minister Ngengi Muigai who had been introduced to Cohen over 30 years ago had called him and told him that the deceased was missing.
Mr Muigai forwarded to him a clip of Newspaper headline “Tob Cohen is missing”.
Mr Muiruri who was asleep sat up and got disturbed as he knew Tob Cohen was not missing.
“After the call, I called a CID man and I drove to DCI headquarters where I met a top Nation Media Group Journalist-John Kamau,” Mr Muiruri stated.
He told Justice Kavedza that he had gone to DCI to report about a murder since “I knew he was not missing but dead.”
At the DCI, he met a police officer from Netherlands and a sister of the deceased had also flown into Kenya to establish the whereabouts of Cohen.
It emerged that former DCI director George Kinoti was not aware about Cohen’s missing story.
Investigations begun and international media started to flock into Kenya as an important person from Netherlands had gone missing.
Mr Muiruri who testified in the presence of a USA Judge visiting Kenya, said Mr Kamau of the Daily Nation called him in September 2019 and broke the news of Cohen’s death.
“We were at Tribe Hotel when Mr Kamau broke the news of Cohen’s death then I broke the news to the family,” Mr Muiruri added.
He said they drove from the hotel where they saw the body of Cohen covered.
The body was retrieved from a septic tank.
“After seeing the body, I did not believe. I went away,” Mr Muiruri said.
He said his testimony is for seeking justice to Tob Cohen. He said he was with Gabrielle, Tob Cohen’s only sister.
She was married to Roy. Unfortunately, she has since passed on.
Before Cohen died, he had visited Plums Hotel in Westlands and Muthaiga Club.
He left Plums Hotel around 1:30am after entertaining patrons with Country Music on July 19, 2019. Workers from the two hotels who have since testified were the last people to see him alive.
When he was reported missing, Sarah went public saying he had travelled to Thailand for treatment while at the same time she had warned their employees not to talk to police and should they be asked, they should say he had travelled for treatment in Thailand and would be back.
Hearing continues on November 9, 2026.
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