The High Court in Nairobi on Thursday heard from a house help who worked for Jacque Maribe in the ongoing trial of the journalist who has been charged alongside Joseph “Jowie” Irungu for the murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani.
Pamela Kemo told the court that she had worked at Maribe’s house for more than three years, having been employed in 2016.
She added that Jowie had started living in the TV star’s house in June 2018 and was introduced to Kemo as a soldier based in Dubai.
Kemo further told the court that Jowie told friends and neighbors that he worked at State House Nairobi.
According to the house help, Maribe’s then boyfriend did not appear to do much and spent most of the time sleeping – only waking up to take the Citizen TV journalist to work and returning to sleep.
Kemo’s key testimony was on the days during the time of Ms Kimani’s murder – September 19th and 20th when the businesswoman was suspected to have been murdered at her house at Lamuria Gardens.
“On September 19, 2018 [a Wednesday], Jowie put on a brown pair of shorts, white T-shirt, sneakers, and a cap. He, thereafter, left in Maribe’s car carrying a bag. That was 4pm. He did not return to the house that evening. He came back on Thursday afternoon — September 20 — and drove Maribe to work at around 4pm.”
“He returned to the house, but left again later in the evening, this time around, wearing a grey pair of shorts. He returned to the house deep in the night, but I did not know until 1am Friday, September 21, when I heard him screaming in pain, and calling the name of one Brian Kasaine, a neighbor who was his friend,” Kemo told Justice James Wakiaga who is presiding over the trial.
She testified that upon leaving her room, she noticed Jowie’s bloodied clothes and a gun with blood stains in Jacque Maribe’s bedroom.
After Jowie was rushed to hospital, she notified journalist Terryanne Chebet whom she had worked for before being seconded to Maribe’s house after Terryanne lost her job.
After Jowie returned to the house on Friday morning, the house help told the court that he and Maribe spent the day in Maribe’s bedroom until the Citizen TV journalist left for work at 3pm while her boyfriend left for a check up at the hospital.