The murder investigation into the death of businessman Tob Cohen shifted from a missing-person inquiry to a homicide case six days after investigators took over the probe, the court has heard.
An investigating officer, Musa Yego, told the court that he took over the case on August 2, 2019, following instructions from the then Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) leadership.
Yego, who appeared as the prosecution’s 28th witness, testified that he initially treated Cohen’s disappearance as a missing-person case and did not consider his wife, Sarah Wairimu, a suspect at the time.
He said he contacted Wairimu and asked her to report to his office to record an additional statement to assist with investigations, despite her having already recorded one at Kilimani Police Station.
Wairimu was initially expected to appear on August 3, 2019, but requested more time, saying she was held up in Nyeri. She eventually recorded the statement on August 5, 2019.
In her statement, Wairimu reportedly spoke about marital disagreements, alleging that Cohen had assaulted their family gardener. She also mentioned disagreements involving Cohen and Muthaiga Golf Club.
Yego further told the court that Wairimu said she did not suspect foul play, explaining that her husband had a history of disappearing for periods before resurfacing.
However, the inquiry took a different direction the following day.
On August 6, 2019, the case was transferred to the DCI Homicide Team for further investigations, marking the shift from a missing-person inquiry to a homicide investigation.
Tob Cohen, a 71-year-old Dutch businessman and former Chief Executive Officer of Philips East Africa, was reported missing from his Lower Kabete home in Nairobi on July 20, 2019.
His body was discovered on September 13, 2019, inside an underground water storage tank at his residence in Kitisuru, nearly two months after his disappearance.
The body had been wrapped in material, with his hands tied, and the tank sealed with concrete.
