This archive report was first published on 2 September 2019.
On September 2, 2019, Sarah Wairimu Kamotho, the wife of missing Dutch tycoon Tob Cohen, was detained for 12 more days as police continued to investigate his disappearance.
Ms. Kamotho was arraigned before a Kiambu court, where Principal Magistrate Patricia Gichohi directed her to be detained at Muthaiga Police Station. The magistrate also barred her from accessing their home, stating that the estranged couple's matrimonial home would remain a crime scene.
Ms. Kamotho was allowed to visit the home in the company of police and her lawyer, Phillip Murgor. The investigating officer told the court that Mr. Cohen had registered a complaint at Parklands Police Station, alleging that he had been threatened, beaten up, and thrown from the second floor of their house by his wife.
According to the court, Ms. Kamotho allegedly coached their employees on what to tell the investigative officers concerning her husband's movements on the day he went missing. The employees later rescinded their previous accounts.
Mr. Cohen, a tours and travel magnate who has lived in Kenya since 1987, went missing between July 19 and July 20 this year. Employees at the Dutchman's home previously told police that he was picked up and driven off in a white car while carrying only a briefcase.
Mr. Cohen and Ms. Kamotho were reportedly embroiled in a bitter divorce case, at the centre of which was a multi-million shilling property, during the days leading up to his disappearance. He had also filed an assault case against his estranged wife on July 12, 2019, citing continuous harassment and denial of his conjugal rights.
Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti said the missing Dutch citizen could have been murdered, adding that Ms. Kamotho is the prime suspect in the case.
