Sarah Wairimu switches lawyers again as Cohen murder case takes new turn
Sarah Wairimu, the widow of Tob Cohen, at the Kibera Court in Nairobi on Friday, January 24, 2025.
Sarah Wairimu Cohen, the widow of Dutch billionaire Tob Cohen—whom she is accused of murdering six years ago—has hired a new lawyer, Pravin Bowry, to defend her in the capital offence.
When the case was mentioned before the Kibera High Court on November 18, Mr Bowry asked the trial judge to place him on record for the accused. He also requested time to read the case file and take instructions before a fresh trial date could be set.
Mr Bowry becomes the fourth lawyer to represent Sarah in the murder case. Her previous lawyers include Conrad Maloba, Singh Gitau and Senior Counsel Philip Murgor.
The judge allowed Mr Bowry to familiarise himself with the file, stating that every accused person has a constitutional right to legal representation by an advocate of their choice. The case will be mentioned on November 27, 2025, for fresh directions.
When Sarah was first charged with murder before the Kibera High Court, she appointed lawyer Conrad Maloba to defend her. Maloba applied for her release on bond after she denied the charge.
However, trial judge Diana Kavedza rejected the bail application, ruling that the accused had “not met the legal threshold to be freed on bond.” The court noted that Sarah had allegedly intimidated prosecution witnesses lined up to testify against her.
The prosecution led by Acting Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Vincent Monda opposed her bond application, citing intimidation of witnesses, flight risk concerns and tampering with the crime scene.
Justice Kavedza found that Sarah posed a likelihood of interfering with witnesses and was a flight risk, noting that she had fraudulently acquired a second passport while the first was in police custody. The court ruled that there had been no sufficient change of circumstances to warrant a review of the earlier bail decision and emphasised the need to protect witnesses and preserve the integrity of the criminal justice process.
The judge also directed the prosecution to strictly safeguard the crime scene and evidence.
Sarah is accused of murdering her husband, Tob Cohen, on July 19, 2019, in the Lower Kabete area of Nairobi County. Cohen’s body was later discovered by police inside a septic tank at their home, wrapped in a blanket.
Cohen, originally from the Netherlands, was a wealthy businessman who had lived in Kenya for over 30 years. He held several prominent positions, including serving as the CEO of Philips Group of Companies (East Africa).
On November 7, 2025, Sarah was charged afresh before Kibera Chief Magistrate Zainab Abdul with giving false information to a public officer contrary to Section 129(c) of the Penal Code, and swearing a false affidavit contrary to Section 114, as read with Section 36 of the Penal Code.
The prosecution told the court that on February 20, 2023, at Munyange Police Station in Othaya, Nyeri County, Sarah allegedly lied to Chief Inspector Mercy Riungu that she had lost her passport. Following the alleged false report, CI Riungu issued her a police abstract.
Sarah is further accused of swearing a false affidavit before Advocate Muchiri wa Gathoni at Pamki House in Nyeri Town, stating that her Kenyan passport had been lost.
Magistrate Abdul declined to release her on bond pending the outcome of an appeal she has filed at the Court of Appeal, where she argues that she is entitled to bond as a constitutional right.
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