Sarah Wairimu on Monday finally gathered the courage to watch the harrowing footage showing the retrieval of the body of her late husband, Dutch businessman Tob Cohen, from an underground water tank at their Nairobi home.
Wairimu, who had maintained her composure throughout much of the proceedings, was seen gently lifting her face to watch the video as it was played before the High Court. The footage captured the painstaking operation to recover Cohen’s body from the tank where it had been concealed.
The court was shown the video for the second day as prosecutors continued presenting evidence in the long-running murder trial.
During the proceedings, Wairimu’s defence lawyer questioned the manner in which the recovery operation was conducted, raising concerns over the use of casual labourers to enter the underground tank instead of trained police officers or homicide investigators.
The defence argued that no police officer or officer from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations’ homicide unit entered the tank to supervise the recovery process, despite the scene being a suspected murder scene.
The Counsel suggested that the absence of trained investigators inside the tank could have compromised the handling and preservation of crucial evidence.
The prosecution, however, maintains that the recovery operation was carried out under police supervision and forms part of the evidence linking the accused to the alleged murder.
Tob Cohen, a prominent Dutch businessman, disappeared on July 19, 2019. Following weeks of investigations, his body was discovered on September 13, 2019, hidden inside an underground water tank at his Kitisuru home in Nairobi.
Sarah Wairimu was subsequently charged with his murder. She has consistently denied the charge and remains in Police Custody awaiting the conclusion of her murder trial.
The trial had experienced numerous delays over the years before resuming with the presentation of key prosecution evidence, including crime scene footage and witness testimony.
The murder trial continues before the High Court, with the prosecution expected to call additional witnesses as it seeks to prove its case against Wairimu.
