The last prosecution witness in the Monica Kimani murder case took the stand on Thursday, June 16 armed with evidence that showed Joseph Irungu alias Jowie and former journalist Jacqueline Maribe were jointly responsible for the businesswoman's death.

According to the evidence presented by investing officer Chief Inspector Maxwel Otieno, exhibits and witness accounts told a tale of how the duo took undertook different roles before and after the murder which led to the recommendation that they jointly face the charges.

“We found out overwhelming evidence against the two accused persons which made us recommend the charges of murder. They were both responsible for killing of the woman in her house after she returned from a business trip,”  Otieno told the court.

Otieno backed his testimony with exhibits recovered from Kimani’s home at Lamuria Gardens and Maribe's home at Royal Park Estate within Langata area. This was after the court visited each scene highlighted in the case on Wednesday, June 15 where the items were confirmed as having been recovered from Jowie and Maribe.

Otieno stated that he had collated several reasons pointing at Jowie as the killer and at Maribe as his accomplice in the same.

“Our case against Jowie is that he was the last person with the deceased and a DNA analysis by the government chemist confirmed that blood stains recovered on the brown shorts he wore on the night of murder matched the blood samples of the deceased,” the investigating officer stated.

According to Otieno, three witnesses positively identified Jowie as having been in Kimani’s house on the night she was killed while another confirmed that Jowie had told him he was going to visit his girlfriend who had just returned from South Sudan.

Additionally, the officer revealed that upon examination of  burnt remains were charred pieces of white material, that resembled a white Kanzu that Jowie was seen wearing by one witness and security guards on the night of the incident at Lamuria Gardens.

“After committing the murder, he was seen wearing the same cap while in the company of Maribe at a club in Westlands area. He also appeared disturbed immediately after committing the offence and told one of his friends that he had quarrelled with the girlfriend from South Sudan,” said Otieno.

He also noted that a guard at Lamuria Gardens had confirmed that Jowie presented a stolen identity card to register at the entrance of the premises and that analysis of the call data records did in fact place him at the scene of murder around the same time Kimani was killed.

Maribe on her part was placed at the scene after her car was spotted around the area, and phone records also revealed that she switched off her phone around the same time the murder was allegedly being committed.

Otieno also stated that Jowie burnt his clothes outside her residence in her presence. 

He further stated that she had given contradicting statements explaining Irungu's injuries, with her first account claiming that he was shot and attacked by thugs on the same night as the murder, and later recanting it claiming that it was self-inflicted gun shot wound to the shoulder.

“Maribe also gave two contradicting statements to investigators concerning injuries sustained by Jowie. This character depicted her as a dishonest person hence our suspicion that she was an accomplice to the murder,” said Otieno.

The hearing was adjourned to July 11 when the investigator will continue with his testimony before the prosecution closes its case awaiting sentencing.