Tob Cohen’s former lawyer, Geoffrey Chege Kirundi, has detailed how the slain Dutch businessman repeatedly changed his inheritance plans, eventually excluding his wife, Sarah Wairimu, and her daughter from his estate amid growing marital tensions.
Testifying for the second consecutive day at the High Court in Kibera on Tuesday, November 10, Kirundi told the court that Cohen had instructed him to amend his will three times, progressively changing the people who would inherit his wealth.
The lawyer said Cohen initially named Wairimu and her daughter as beneficiaries before subsequently directing him to remove the daughter from the document. In a later amendment, the businessman instructed him to exclude Wairimu altogether and replace her with his sister, Gabriella, and her children.
The estate under discussion included the couple’s palatial residence in Kitisuru, alongside other properties belonging to the businessman.
Responding to questions from defence lawyer Parvin Bowry regarding the number of wills he had prepared, Kirundi maintained that he had drafted three different versions over the years.
He further explained that Cohen never remained without a valid will after revoking an earlier version, saying the businessman would immediately provide fresh instructions for another document to be prepared.
However, the defence challenged the lawyer’s account, questioning the whereabouts of the first two versions and accusing him of contradicting himself by disclosing confidential details of the will.
In a separate development, the authenticity of the will presented after Cohen’s murder also came under scrutiny after lawyer Joseph Ndirangu Maina, the 27th prosecution witness, told the court that the document was forged.
Maina disowned the signature attributed to him, arguing that the photocopy produced in court could not have originated from the original document.
“Photocopy could not have been made from the original. I therefore denounced the copy. The signature in it is not mine,” he testified.
Former Gigiri Sub-county Police Commander Richard Mwangi also testified, recounting previous assault reports involving Cohen and Wairimu.
Mwangi told the court that Wairimu had contacted him claiming that her husband had travelled abroad for medical treatment. She reportedly informed him that Cohen had also developed a mental disorder.
“I later read in the papers of Tob Cohen’s disappearance. Days later, Sarah Wairimu Cohen called me, telling me that Tob Cohen had travelled abroad for medication. She also told me that Cohen had developed a mental disorder,” Mwangi testified.
The testimony has brought renewed attention to the deteriorating relationship between the couple before Cohen’s disappearance, with the court hearing accounts touching on their marital disputes, alleged assaults and disagreements over the businessman’s inheritance plans.
The murder trial continues as the prosecution presents evidence seeking to establish the circumstances surrounding Cohen’s death. Wairimu is accused of murdering her husband, charges she is presumed innocent of until proven guilty.
Four more witnesses are expected to testify in the case on Wednesday as proceedings continue.