Tob Cohen murder trial: Sarah Wairimu told detectives husband had travelled to Thailand for treatment

Tob Cohen’s widow, Sarah Wairimu during a past court appearance. (Photo: ODPP)

The Kibera High Court has heard that Sarah Wairimu told detectives her missing husband, Dutch businessman Tob Cohen, had travelled to Thailand for medical treatment, insisting he would return despite having had no communication with him for 11 days.

Fatuma Hadi Ali, who was then the Kilimani Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer (DCIO), testified that she questioned Wairimu on July 31, 2019, following concerns raised by the Netherlands Embassy after Cohen’s relatives failed to reach him.

According to the officer, Wairimu claimed that Cohen had left Kenya on July 20, 2019, after the two shared breakfast at their home, during which he apologised and promised to withdraw a divorce case he had filed.

“She informed me that I should not be worried because Tob Cohen travelled to Thailand on July 20 and that morning they had breakfast together. Tob Cohen apologised to her and promised to drop a divorce case he had filed in court,” Fatuma told the court.

The witness said Wairimu claimed she had packed some belongings for her husband but could not remember the airline he used to travel.

She further told detectives that she had neither spoken to Cohen nor received any communication from him since his departure.

When Fatuma questioned why she was not concerned about his prolonged silence, Wairimu reportedly maintained that he was receiving treatment abroad.

“Don’t worry, I know he’s in Thailand. He has gone for medication; he will be back,” the officer quoted her as saying.

The court heard that Wairimu had neither reported her husband missing nor contacted his relatives in the Netherlands to establish whether he had arrived in Thailand.

Fatuma further testified that Wairimu volunteered information about two women she claimed were close to Cohen, identifying them as Margaret Wanjiru and Monica Wangari Githinji.

Investigators questioned the two women separately. Margaret said she had known Cohen for six years, with their last meeting taking place at a Westlands hotel. Monica, who met him in 2017, said their last communication was on July 17, 2019.

The officer also recounted subsequent telephone conversations in which Wairimu sought clarification about detectives and other police officers who had summoned her for questioning. Fatuma advised her to honour the summons.

Cohen’s body was discovered in September 2019, buried inside an underground water tank at his Kitisuru property.

At least 27 prosecution witnesses have testified in the ongoing murder trial before the Kibera High Court.