Suspect now State witness in Dutch tycoon murder

The investigation into the murder of Dutch tycoon Herman Rouwenhorst has taken a new twist after a key suspect agreed to become a State witness.

Mary Nekesa Ambani has reached a plea bargain deal with prosecutors to help in unravelling how the killing was planned and executed.

The development emerged on Monday when Ms Ambani and her co-accused Timothy Omondi Ngowe alias Rashid alias Tony Ochieng alias Mohamed Khalid appeared in the High Court in Mombasa to face murder charges.

The two are accused of jointly murdering Mr Rouwenhorst at his apartment in Shanzu on June 4.

They face another charge of jointly killing Evans Pole Bokoro, a night guard at the apartments.

The two appeared before Mombasa Resident Judge Eric Ogola. Because it was their first appearance in the matter, they were not required to plead to the charges. They will have to undergo mental assessments first to determine their suitability for trial.

As they were being informed of the charges, State counsel Vallerie Ongeti told the court that Director of Public Prosecutions Noordin Haji intended to convert Ms Ambani into a witness.

Ms Ongeti also asked that the two be remanded in separate prisons due to the change of circumstances.

The two were arraigned following an intensive investigation that took investigators to Bungoma, Kisumu and Kitale, where more than Sh3 million stolen from the Dutchman is alleged to have been invested.

Homicide detectives said money in Kenyan and foreign currencies stolen during the murder found its way to the three areas, where the suspects travelled after the killing.

Police allege that Mr Rouwenhorst’s widow Riziki Cherono Ali hired assassins to eliminate him.

In an earlier affidavit, investigators alleged that Mr Omondi and his co-accused had been in constant communication with the prime suspects before, during and after the killing.

Police arrested Mr Omondi and Ms Ambani last month at their hideout in Florida village, Kiembeni, Mombasa, where they were living in their newly built mansion on a newly acquired piece of land.

Among the items the police have seized and intend to use as evidence is a land purchase agreement and several receipts for materials and electronics bought using the millions stolen from the Dutchman.

Police say the suspects furnished their new house with items such as a refrigerator, a television, a television stand, a radio system and a solar system.

What has baffled investigators is how the suspects entered the compound, which is highly secured and backed by a stone perimeter wall reinforced with an electric fence and an alarm system.

Investigations say there was no evidence of violence on the security setup of the compound and the main house.

Detectives also said Mr Omondi was believed to have been involved in the commission of other offences in Mombasa, Nairobi, Kisumu and Eldoret.

Ms Cherono, the suspected mastermind of the murder, denied the charges last month.

“I am a scapegoat to save face by investigators. I maintain that the charges against me are a product of pressure by the public and the Dutch to show that they are working to solve the murder,” she claimed.

But investigator Reuben Mwaniki has said Ms Cherono had personally taken the perpetrators to the house before the killing and showed them the layout.

During the visit, he alleges, the suspects photographed the bedroom, where the murder was eventually committed.

“The accused person gave a key to the perpetrators to access the home on the material date when the murder was executed,” he said.

“The accused was persistent that the work (murder) must be executed when the murder was not committed on two previous occasions.”

Ms Cherono is in remand pending a ruling on her bond request. Mr Omondi and Ms Ambani were remanded at Shimo La Tewa and Malindi prisons respectively.

They will be taken to Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital for a mental assessment.

Their case will be mentioned on September 16.

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