The plot to kill Dutch tycoon Herman Rouwenhorst was hatched on the shores of the Indian Ocean, with the conversation extending to a drinking binge inside a police station.
A protected witness, identified as ABC and who was aware of the plot, has provided a detailed account of how it was conceived and carried out after a month of meticulous planning.
Ms Riziki Cherono, the prime suspect in the murder of her husband, was the focal point of the plot to get rid of the foreigner, according to the witness who testified before Mombasa High Court Judge Ann Onginjo.
“There were two planning meetings, one was at a joint on the shores of the Indian Ocean while another was at a police station. We were drinking alcohol. I thought Ms Cherono was joking. I assume they were just high on alcohol,” the witness said.
According to the witness, they were three during the two planning meetings; Ms Cherono, Mr Timothy Omondi Ngowe alias Kelvin Omondi alias Rashid and a Ms Mary.
All are suspects in the murder.
Ms Cherono is charged with double murder of the foreigner and night guard Evans Bambo Bokolo. According to the charge sheet, the woman is said to have murdered Mr Rouwenhorst and Mr Bokolo at Roco apartments in Shanzu, Mombasa County.
She is facing the offences together with her accomplice, Mr Rashid.
They are accused of committing the offences on the night of June 4,2021.
They have denied committing the two offences, which the state said were carried out jointly with others.
Yesterday, the protected witness, with the help of state counsel Bernard Ngiri, took the court through a chain of events, with some surprisingly taking place within a police station during a drinking spree.
ABC said she used to stay with Ms Mary and, one day when Ms Cherono visited Mary, she heard them discussing the murder plot.
“I heard Ms Cherono discuss with Mary how they would eliminate her white husband. She said he had threatened to divorce her and that he hated her family,” the witness said.
According to ABC’s testimony, Ms Cherono complained to her friend that she was not enjoying the fruits of her marriage and that the deceased had refused to buy her a car but bought himself a fishing boat worth Sh5 million.
In addition to this discussion, the witness revealed that Ms Mary had informed her of the plan to kill the foreigner and that they had chosen Mr Rashid to complete the task after considering a number of options.
According to the witness, Ms Mary’s home hosted a birthday celebration on May 1, 2021. Ms Cherono and Ms Mary decided to host the event at her home because they were both celebrating their birthdays.
The party’s financier, Ms Cherono, was only permitted to go out for one night, but the court heard that she spent four days there.
A few days later, the witness said, Ms Mary requested her to accompany her to meet Ms Cherono at a joint at the shores of the Indian Ocean.
“We arrived there before Rashid. Cherono and another person joined us,” the witness said.
According to testimony given in court, Ms Cherono, Mr Rashid, and Ms Mary sat at one table, while the witness and a fifth unidentified person were left alone at a different table.
After a brief discussion, the court was told, Ms Cherono and Mr Rashid left the area on a motorcycle before coming back several hours later.
“Rashid returned by himself. I overheard him telling Ms Mary that he had visited Ms Cherono’s home and taken pictures of its interior design,” the witness claimed.
The witness also told the court that she overheard Mr Rashid boasting to Ms Mary about how easy the task at hand was and how he would complete it.
The witness added that her friend Mary later told her that Mr Rashid had requested a Sh600,000 deposit.
“After this meeting, I overheard Ms Cherono asking Mary on the phone why Rashid had not completed the task as agreed. Then, my friend would dial Rashid’s number, talk to him before relaying feedback to Cherono. This went on for a few days prior to the actual day,” she said.
On June 2, the witness went with Ms Mary to Ms Cherono’s residence where she picked up a key before going back to their residence.
The witness claimed that Mary left their home the following day at 5pm under the pretext that she was going to visit her boyfriend in Kilifi.
She gave the witness money to prepare supper for her two children. According to the witness , Ms Mary returned to their house at 4am.
“She told me they had murdered Cherono’s husband. She said Mr Rashid had completed the task,” the witness disclosed.
The witness claimed that after this, she promised her friend that should she be arrested, she would tell the police the truth.
“Ms Mary paid me Sh9,000 to settle a debt she owed me before giving me an additional Sh5,000 to take care of her children. Mr Rashid also gave me Sh2,000. On June 5, I departed for my rural home together with Mary’s children,” she said.
She claimed that, while she was at home, Ms Mary called her using a strange number to let her know she had been arrested.
“She gave me the instructions to throw away my phone and the line and to lie if I was ever arrested about the incident. She forewarned me that she and Rashid would arrange for my murder even if they were in custody if I dared to come clean to the police,” she told the court.
The suspects boasted about their wealth and said they would bribe their way out of jail even though they were still being held, according to evidence presented in court.
The witness claimed that she fled to her rural village after receiving death threats from Mary and Rashid during cross-examination by Ms Mary Waweru, who represented Ms Cherono.
“Mary and Rashid would leave the house whenever they wanted to talk about anything following the incident. I made the decision to withdraw and go to the village,” she said.
On August 6, she was arrested and taken to Mombasa.
According to testimony given in court, Ms Cherono was responsible for the crime by organising, obtaining, and helping the criminals for her own gain. BY DAILY NATION