This archive report was first published on 3 October 2019.
Published on October 3, 2019, a High Court in Kenya has allowed lawyer Philip Murgor to continue representing Sarah Wairimu, the widow of Dutch tycoon Tob Cohen, in the ongoing murder case against her.
Justice Stella Mutuku ruled that Murgor's resignation as a Public Prosecutor on March 7, 2019, was accepted and he has been attending to other court matters. This decision comes after Cohen's family lawyer Cliff Ombeta opposed Murgor's representation of Wairimu, citing public interest as Murgor's appointment had not been revoked through a gazette notice.
Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Catherine Mwaniki also notified the court that they were still in the process of degazetting the appointment. However, Justice Mutuku found that Murgor is properly before the court and that the publication of the gazette notice has no bearing on his resignation.
Wairimu has been charged with the murder of her husband Cohen, who was found dead in a septic tank at his home in Nairobi on September 13, 2019. She has pleaded not guilty to the charge.