NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 29 – A former housekeeper at the home of Dutch businessman Tob Cohen has told the High Court that he witnessed an alleged violent confrontation between Cohen and his wife, Sarah Wairimu Kamotho, months before Cohen was killed in July 2019.
Chrispinus Shihemi, who worked for the couple as a gardener and housekeeper, was among three prosecution witnesses who testified on Tuesday before Justice Diana Kavedza as the murder trial continued at the High Court in Kibera.
Wairimu is accused of murdering Cohen, jointly with others not before the court, on the night of July 19 and 20, 2019 in Nairobi.
Shihemi told the court that on February 8, 2019, he heard Cohen screaming outside the house at about 10pm.
He said he rushed to the terrace and found Cohen lying near the stairs while Wairimu was allegedly holding a plastic chair over him.
According to the witness, Cohen repeatedly cried, “You are killing me,” prompting him to intervene and tell Wairimu: “Hapana madam, wacha hiyo tabia mbaya.” (No, madam, stop that bad behaviour.)
Shihemi said Cohen was bleeding from the head and face after the incident and asked him to take photographs of his injuries.
He told the court that Wairimu instructed him not to take the photographs.
The witness said Cohen later accused him of failing to intervene during the confrontation, telling him: “Stupid, you did not help me.”
He also described growing tensions in the household, saying Cohen stopped eating food prepared in the home and instead bought takeaway meals or prepared his own food.
Shihemi said Cohen terminated his employment on March 27, 2019, handing him a termination letter and about Sh12,000 before ordering him to leave the compound.
He later returned to the residence after Wairimu called him on July 21, 2019.
The witness told the court that Wairimu said she and Cohen had resolved their differences and that Cohen had travelled abroad for medical treatment.
When he returned to the compound on July 22 — days before Cohen’s disappearance was reported and immediately after the July 19–20 period identified in the murder charge — Shihemi said he noticed several changes.
He testified that furniture on the terrace where the February confrontation had occurred was damaged, while Cohen’s master bedroom had been stripped of its bedding, leaving only the mattress cover.
He also noticed that Cohen’s red briefcase, some shoes and other personal belongings were missing.
Shihemi said extensive slashing and clearing had also taken place in the compound.
The witness further testified that Wairimu appeared restless and instructed staff not to open the gate when police vehicles or officers arrived outside.
He said he later learnt through news reports and people around him that Cohen was missing and that records showed he had not left the country.
Cohen’s body was subsequently discovered inside a tank at his Kitisuru residence on September 13, 2019, almost two months after his reproted disappearance.
Shihemi told the court that he was later interviewed by DCI investigators, drew a layout of the compound and recorded statements concerning what he had witnessed.
His testimony came alongside that of Police Constable Stanley Kanyile and Inspector Joseph Maina.
Kanyile testified that he responded to a distress call on July 19, 2019, which led officers to Cohen’s Spring Valley residence, where they encountered three men in civilian clothes and Wairimu, who reported being in distress.
Maina, a former Officer Commanding Station at Parklands Police Station, testified about an earlier police visit following an assault complaint by Cohen.
He told the court that Cohen reported that his wife had assaulted him and directed officers to a room where he said she had locked herself. The officers received no response and subsequently returned to the station to pursue the procedure for issuing summons.
The visit was recorded under OB 37/19/7/19, while the officers’ return was recorded under OB 41/19/7/2019.
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