Ms Sarah Cohen instructed her three employees to lie to police that her billionaire Dutch husband, the late Tob Cohen, whom she is accused of murdering, had travelled to Thailand for medical treatment, the court has heard.
Despite Sarah’s alleged instructions to the employees not to disclose the whereabouts of Cohen, several prominent names were mentioned during the resumed trial, following the dismissal of her application to declare the case a mistrial and have it start afresh.
Former Assistant Minister Ngengi Muigai, former Gatundu North MP Patrick Muiruri and Ms Margaret Wanjiru Ireri were mentioned by defence lawyer during the cross-examination of a former employee, who testified for four hours.
Sarah Cohen at the Kibera High Court in Nairobi on June 9, 2026.
Photo credit: Richard Munguti | Nation Media Group
The defence lawyer asked the witness whether he had ever received phone calls from Mr Muigai, Mr Muiruri or Ms Ireri during investigations into the whereabouts of the deceased businessman.
Cohen, originally from the Netherlands, was a wealthy businessman who lived in Kenya for more than 30 years and held various positions, including CEO of Philips Group of Companies (East Africa).
The witness told the court that after initially lying to police, he later returned to confess.
“After soul-searching, I decided on my own volition to go back to the DCI and tell them the truth, since we had been instructed by Madam Sarah Wairimu to lie about the whereabouts of Tob Cohen. I do not know Ngengi Muigai, Patrick Muiruri, or Margaret Njeri Ireri. They did not call me,” the witness told the court.
The witness further said that he was not influenced by anyone to change his account regarding Cohen’s disappearance.
The witness, who worked for Cohen between 2017 and 2019, said they last saw him on Friday, July 19, 2019. He testified that Sarah opened the gate for him as he left for the weekend.
“Sarah wished me a great weekend as she opened the gate. I also wished her a great weekend,” the witness said.
On Monday, he reported to work and called Cohen to open the gate, but the call went unanswered. He then called Sarah, who opened the gate and told him her husband was away.
“Immediately after opening the gate, she told us they were doing a lot of cleaning. We went to the office and she said Cohen had travelled to Thailand to seek medical attention,” the witness said.
The witness further testified that Sarah later called him and another worker to the kitchen where she allegedly instructed them to tell anyone who asked that Cohen had travelled to Thailand for two weeks for treatment.
“Sarah called us to the kitchen and told us that if anyone asked about Cohen, we should say he had left for Thailand on July 20, 2019,” he said.
Sarah Cohen with her lawyer Pravin Bowry at the Kibera High Court in Nairobi on June 9, 2026.
Photo credit: Richard Munguti | Nation Media Group
The witness added that Sarah further instructed them to say Cohen left carrying a red suitcase, boarded a white taxi and was wearing jeans and a blazer.
On August 7, 2019, when police visited the home, amid reports of Cohen’s disappearance, the witness said he gave the version of the story he had been instructed to give.
“I told the police my boss had left for Thailand, as instructed by Sarah but it was a lie,” he said.
“Did you lie to the police on the whereabouts of Tob Cohen when you were questioned?” the defence asked during cross-examination.
“Yes, I lied to four police officers about Cohen, as I had been instructed by Sarah,” he responded.
The witness said that when he left Cohen’s compound on August 10, 2019, he never returned, as there was no further work after his employer’s disappearance.
After an extensive search by family members and the police, Cohen’s body was eventually found in an underground septic tank at his home along Farasi Lane in Mugumoini Close.
Besides office duties, the witness said he also fed Cohen’s two fierce dogs, one named Major, which sometimes stayed in the office.
He further testified that Cohen kept a black book in which he recorded employees’ mistakes and fined them Sh1,000.
“I was once fined Sh1,000, but generally Cohen was a good boss,” he said.
Sarah has denied murdering her husband on the night of July 19/20, 2019. The hearing continues on June 15, 2026.
