NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 2 — The murder trial of Sarah Wairimu Kamotho, who is charged with killing her husband, Dutch businessman Tob Cohen, resumed on Friday with the prosecution calling four additional witnesses.
The witnesses testified before Lady Justice Diana Kavedza, providing evidence relating to Cohen’s movements before his disappearance, a previous assault complaint he made against his wife and forensic analysis conducted during investigations into his death.
Among those who testified was Haston Kombe, a musician and band owner at Plums Hotel, who recalled seeing Cohen at the hotel on July 19, 2019.
Kombe told the court that Cohen joined the evening entertainment and performed with the band before eventually leaving the premises.
According to the witness, Cohen appeared jovial as he joined the musicians on stage and repeatedly sang a song titled “Love Gone Sour,” which centred on a relationship that had deteriorated.
The witness recalled Cohen singing lyrics describing a woman as mean and saying she treated him badly.
Kombe said he later learnt through media reports that Cohen had been reported missing.
The court also heard evidence concerning Cohen’s movements on the same day from Samuel Murathimi, who was then the Golf Operations Manager at Muthaiga Golf Club.
Murathimi presented and confirmed records relating to Cohen’s visit to the club on July 19, 2019.
The records were produced as documentary evidence in support of the prosecution’s case.
Sergeant Mbalwe of Parklands Police Station also testified about a previous assault complaint made by Cohen against his wife.
The court heard that Cohen reported the alleged assault on February 13, 2019, but initially indicated that he did not want his wife arrested.
Mbalwe told the court that Cohen later sought her arrest.
The officer further testified that on July 19, 2019, Cohen contacted him and reported that his wife was at their residence, requesting police intervention.
The matter was escalated to his superiors, who dispatched officers to the residence.
According to Mbalwe, police officers encountered difficulties in effecting the arrest after the suspect allegedly locked herself inside the house.
The officer also testified about subsequent attempts to reach Cohen following the complaint, the registration of an assault case at the Kibera Law Courts on July 31, 2019, and developments after Cohen was reported missing.
Police records relating to the complaint and subsequent investigations were also presented to the court.
The prosecution also called John Mungai, a former government analyst and forensic controller, who testified about the analysis of exhibits recovered during the investigation.
The exhibits included material collected from Cohen’s residence, vehicles, bedrooms and the water tank where his body was discovered.
The court heard that DNA profiles generated from several exhibits included profiles attributed to unknown male and female sources.
Mungai told the court that the DNA profile obtained from the steering wheel of motor vehicle KZQ 947 belonged to an unknown male.
He further testified that DNA profiles obtained from Cohen’s cartilage and nail samples were consistent with those of a biological sibling of Gabriella Hannah Cohen and Bernard Cohen.
Other exhibits produced mixed DNA profiles, while some did not yield usable DNA profiles, according to the forensic evidence presented in court.
The evidence forms part of the prosecution’s case against Wairimu in the long-running murder trial.
The trial was adjourned to October 12 and 14, 2026, when the prosecution is expected to call seven witnesses on October 12 and five witnesses on October 14.
