Bail hearing for Jowie in Monica murder case set for February

Joseph Irungu alias Jowie will remain in custody until February when the High Court will hear his bail application.

Mr Irungu made a fresh application Thursday to be freed on bond, saying protected witnesses have already testified and his siblings would accommodate him.

Justice James Wakiaga will rule on the application in February 2020.

On Thursday, a former househelp of Mr Irungu's co-accused Jacque Maribe testified how she was woken up by Mr Irungu's loud cries as he called for help from a neighbour.

Ms Pamela Ingato Kembo told the court that Mr Irungu was calling Mr Brian Kassaine, a neighbour, to help him. She said she rushed to the master bedroom upstairs and saw blood and a gun.

Mr Irungu, she added, kept calling for Brian as he ran downstairs. She told the trial court that she picked some blood-soaked clothes and threw them in the bedroom.

Asked by state counsel Gikui Wangui whether she heard any gunshots, Ms Kembo said she did not hear such or any other noises before the incident.

Ms Kembo said she started working for Ms Maribe in 2016. Then, they lived near Carnivore before moving to Royal Park in Lang’ata.

She said Mr Irungu started visiting the TV journalist in 2017.

Ms Kembo said the murder suspect would visit once before disappearing for weeks. According to her, she was told that Mr Irungu worked as an army officer in Dubai. He came again in December 2017 and later in January 2018 and stayed for three days.

“He visited again around April and stayed for one week and came back in June and started living with us,” she said. The witness said Mr Irungu came with two suitcases in June.

He said he later noticed a gun in the house and when she asked her boss, she was told Mr Irungu was a security officer.

And when he started living with them, he said Mr Irungu used to drive Ms Maribe to her workplace and come back to the house and sleep. He would go and pick her up in the evening.

Ms Kembo was testifying in the trial of Mr Irungu and Ms Maribe, who have denied killing Monica Kimani, an offence they allegedly committed on September 19, 2018 at Lamuria Garden apartments in Kilimani.

She said on September 19, Mr Irungu dropped his fiancée at her workplace and returned to the house where he stayed until about 4pm. He left dressed in short-trousers, a white T-shirt and a cap.

Both, she added, did not come back that night until the wee hours of September 20. They had their keys and would not bother waking her up. He again dropped her to her workplace the following day and came back to sleep, before leaving the house in the evening.

There was nothing unusual on the said night until she was woken up by Jowie’s wailing at around 1am. She said Mr Kassaine and Ms Maribe took Mr Irungu to hospital and came back with his arm bandaged. 

About three days later, Mr Irungu was picked up by police officers, she said.

Hearing of the case resumes on March 17.

The prosecution will be calling 10 more witnesses. So far, a total of 13 people have testified.