Jowie, Maribe to know fate in January

By Peter Ochieng

The High Court on Friday once again postponed delivery of judgment in a murder case against Joshua Irungu popularly known as Jowie and former Citizen TV news anchor Jackie Maribe.

The two are battling allegations of the murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani. The judgment was initially set to be delivered on October 6, 2023.

It was however deferred after Lady Justice Grace Nzioka was reported to be ill.

A new date of December 15, 2023, which is today was settled on.

The issue of the verdict has once again been put off to January, 2023.

Justice Nzioka said she was yet to complete scrutinising part of the exhibits, that were submitted to her on Monday this week.

She said that three gunny bags of exhibits were submitted to her on Monday, adding that needs more time to peruse them.

She set January 26, 2024 as the new date for delivery of the judgement.

Jowie, the main accused person had pleaded with the judge to deliver the judgment before Christmas, stating that it has been a long and agonising wait for him and his family.

Monica Kimani was murdered on the night of September 19, 2018, at her Lamuria Gardens apartment in Kilimani, Nairobi county, hours after she returned from a business trip to South Sudan.

According to the prosecution, Maribe, then Jowie's girlfriend was part of his plan to kill Kimani, and that she waited for him at a club in Westlands to accomplish the mission, provided him with the means of transport, helped in destroying the evidence and continually lied to police.

Maribe was allegedly within the area of the incident and switched off her phone around the time the murder was reportedly being committed, and later witnessed when Jowie burnt his clothes to destroy evidence outside her residence.

The two pleaded not guilty to the murder charges.