Jowie isolated man as he shares dock with fiancée Maribe

The enduring image from Kilimani Law Courts in Nairobi on Tuesday was that of TV journalist Jacque Maribe lost in the embrace of her father Mr Mwangi Maribe.

The image, which went viral within hours, captured a family united in its lowest moment, but also brought to sharp focus the isolation of her fiancé Joseph Irungu.

Mr Irungu, accused of slitting the throat of a woman in her Nairobi apartment three weeks ago, sat quietly in the dock, his injured arm held to his injured chest by a medical sling as he fought to retain what remains of his dignity.

His eyes kept darting across the courtroom, every now and then staring blankly into a nothingness only known to him.

For a man who boasted an army of followers and admirers, he appeared rather lonesome, his unkempt hair contrasting sharply with the softness of his white shirt.

Ms Maribe, meanwhile, laughed and hugged and teased her father barely two metres away, while her friends and the rest of the family signalled the spirit of camaraderie by just showing up.

Mr Maribe has all along proclaimed his daughter’s innocence, arguing last weekend that she is a victim of love and circumstance and accusing police of seeking to “become famous” by prosecuting his “celebrity” child.

“Police want to become famous by nailing a celebrity,” said Mr Maribe. “That is why my daughter is in custody …. Her biggest mistake was falling in love.”

In the moment of reckoning in court yesterday, there was nothing to betray the chemistry and dreams Mr Irungu and Ms Maribe enjoyed barely 20 days ago, nothing to share between and man and his fiancée, and nothing to bind them other than the murder case facing them.

Mr Irungu has battled this dark chapter of his life alone since he was arrested on September 25.

For a man who boasted an army of followers and admirers, he appeared rather lonesome — some might say abandoned — at his moment of need.

Friends had described him as a likeable, jolly character who loved to party and was quite generous with money. One woman described him as a wild merrymaker, while another said “there is no drink that Jowie cannot afford”.

The woman, who requested not to be named for fear of being associated with a murder suspect, said Mr Irungu has always been very guarded about his private life, scarcely discussed his dealings, and had the mannerisms of a “hunted animal.”

That, perhaps, explains his solitude in court appearances, but also brings to question the kind of relationships he fosters.

Questions have also been raised about the decision by his parents to request anonymity in a TV interview on October 7.

The explanation was that the sensitivity of the case facing their son could upturn their quiet life in Nakuru, but the identity of their son, who has been making news for three weeks now, automatically reveals those of his parents.

None of his parents was in court yesterday, even though his lawyer Sam Nyaberi told the Nation Tuesday evening that they had arrived late for the hearing.

Mr Nyaberi said Mr Irungu met his parents at the basement of Milimani Law Courts, and that he had spent considerable time with his mother.

The contrasting experiences of Mr Irungu and Ms Maribe in custody and in court paint a rather disturbing picture of a man who either likes the small comforts of solitude, or a party animal who no one wants to touch now for fear of being associated with a suspected murderer.