For the better part of Friday, February 9, the High Court was the centre of attraction for many Kenyans following the murder case of businesswoman Monica Kimani, who was killed on September 19, 2018. The court found Jowie guilty of murdering Monica Kimani. Jacque Maribe (right) was acquitted. Monica Kimani’s murder case judgment Journalist Jacque Maribe and her former lover, Joseph Irungu, alias Jowie, were the main suspects in the murder of Kimani. After over five years, High Court Judge Grace Nzioka finally delivered the long-awaited 117-page judgment that convicted Jowie and freed Maribe, save for liability for a misdemeanour by the latter. During the reading of the judgment, Justice Nzioka was crystal clear on what happened during the hearing, citing witness and defence statements, submissions, and evidence presented to the court. She clearly explained why she arrived at the conclusion that Jowie, who will be sentenced on Friday, March 8, was guilty and why Maribe was not proven guilty as far as the murder charge was concerned. Jacque Maribe’s defence in Monica Kimani’s murder case In her defence, Maribe was categorical about her relationship with Jowie, saying it was more of a casual, pally thing. She reiterated the past tense in her defence. “My relationship with the accused, then, was just cohabitation,” Maribe stated. The court had been made aware that Maribe and Jowie were staying together at Royal Park Estate, where an identity card of a casual worker disappeared, only to be found on the first accused (Jowie). She defended her move to help Jowie get medical attention after the contradictory shooting incident that saw her record a statement with the police and then retract it a day later. According to the court, Maribe had recorded a statement with the police indicating that the shooting incident involving Jowie took place at the estate gate. She changed it a day later, confessing that it happened in their house. Did Jacque Maribe take Jowie to hospital? “Helping him get medical treatment is provided in the constitution. I cannot take gun wounds lightly with any imagination,” Maribe stated. Her defence firmly relied on the prosecution’s inability to place her at the scene of the crime and prove that she knew the deceased or that she was the last person seen with her. “The people last seen with her, Waridi, Kaka, Owen, and the first accused, should be asked about the death of the deceased as the ones who were last seen with her,” added Maribe. Verdict in Monica Kimani’s murder case The court found Joseph Irungu, alias Jowie, guilty of murdering Monica Kimani. High Court Judge Grace Nzioka also acquitted Jacque Maribe, a co-accused person with Jowie. Jacque Maribe celebrated heartily after she was acquitted as Jowie sank and shed tears.
BY TUKO NEWS