Jacque Maribe, Jowie: New Evidence Turns Monica Kimani Case Upside Down

A pair of shorts stained with blood found by investigators in former Citizen TV anchor Jacque Maribe's house has turned the tides in Monica Kimani's murder case even as she battles to exonerate herself from the crime.

Justice Grace Nzioka, during the final day of the murder trial on Wednesday, July 20 was informed that the DNA profile generated from the scanning of blood stains on the pair of shorts matched that of Kimani.

Chief Inspector of Police Maxwell Otieno, while concluding the presentation of the prosecution’s evidence, noted that the shorts were discovered in Maribe's house at Royal Park estate in Lang’ata, Nairobi County.

Jowie and Jacque Maribe in court. /FILE

During cross-examination by Maribe’s defence lawyer Katwa Kigen, the inspector revealed that the shorts had belonged to Joseph Irungu alias Jowie, who was Maribe's fiancé and is currently the co-accused in the murder case.

Otieno further noted that Kimani was killed using a sharp object on the night of September 19, 2018, at Lamuria Gardens Apartment in Kilimani, Nairobi, by an unidentified person. The object, possibly a knife, was never recovered.

“Kimani’s blood travelled from Lamuria to her (Maribe’s) house at Royal Park in Lang’ata. The blood originated from the murder scene to her house,” affirmed the witness regarding direct evidence linking Maribe to the murder.

In addition to the shorts, Maribe's car was used by Jowie to drive him to Kimani's house that night. According to the inspector, her vehicle was thus used in committing the murder.

Jowie was reportedly driven to Kimani’s house by Jennings Orlando, a Recce Squad officer of the General Service Unit (GSU) who Jowie later dropped in Ngara to pick a matatu to his work station in Ruiru, Kiambu County.

“She facilitated (the crime) by providing her motor vehicle to Jowie to move to the house (of Kimani). Orlando said Mr Irungu had a gun at the time he went to the house,” added Otieno.

The inspector also added that he was linking Maribe to the murder because a firearm Jowie had allegedly used to shoot himself on the shoulder was recovered from her house. It however did not belong to Maribe or Jowie but to Brian Kasaine, their neighbour.

The weapon was used to threaten the deceased and intimidate her into submission.