The High Court in Kibera has been taken through the emotional events surrounding the discovery of the body of Dutch businessman Tob Cohen, whose death in 2019 shocked the country.
Justice Diana Kavedza was shown evidence detailing the three-day search operation that led investigators to Cohen’s decomposing body, which had been concealed in an underground water tank at his Lower Kabete residence.
The proceedings, attended by the prime suspect in the case, Sarah Wairimu Kamotho Cohen’s widow turned emotional when the court viewed crime scene footage showing the condition in which the businessman’s remains were recovered.
The footage depicted Cohen’s body wrapped in a black curtain, placed inside a yellow nylon bag, with his head covered separately using a red skirt. The body had been tied from the neck down to the toes and was partially decomposed at the time it was retrieved.
While testifying, crime scene documentation officer Wanjohi Beneutychus told the court that investigators initially launched a search after Cohen was reported missing. After several days without locating him, detectives began suspecting that he could have been killed and his body hidden within his own compound.
The investigators then intensified the search at the Lower Kabete property, where they noticed a heap of debris and freshly cut tree branches in a corner of the compound.
The court heard that detectives recruited casual workers from the surrounding area to assist in clearing the debris. After the area was cleared, they discovered a concealed underground water tank whose manual access cover had been hidden beneath freshly laid concrete.
Suspecting that the tank could have been used to conceal Cohen’s body, investigators removed the concrete and opened the tank. They discovered an object wrapped in a black curtain at the bottom.
Upon retrieving the object, investigators confirmed it was the body of the missing businessman.
During the court session, Sarah Wairimu appeared overwhelmed by the graphic evidence and was seen wiping away tears while struggling to look at the footage.
Cohen, a wealthy businessman and former employee of international firms, was reported missing in July 2019. His body was discovered weeks later in his compound, leading to the arrest and prosecution of his widow, Sarah Wairimu, who has denied involvement in his killing.
The murder trial is set to continue on July 13, 2026.
