•Sonko had scheduled a meeting with Jeff Koinange.
• Friend tells court they were at the station until Sonko finished his interview and they left at 11.30pm together with Maribe for Club 40/40 in Westlands. The stayed until 4am.
Image: ENOS TECHE
Former news anchor Jacque Maribe was with Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko on the day that Monica Kimani was murdered, a court was told on Wednesday.
One of the witnesses in the murder trial, Maribe's friend Chelagat Ruto, told the court that she was with Maribe and Sonko on the night of the killing.
Ruto testified that on September 19, 2018, she went to Road House Grill with a friend at around 6.30pm and they met Joseph Irungu, alias Jowie, with a friend. they had a late lunch.
Maribe and her ex-fiance Jowie are charged with murdering Monica Kimani, which they deny.
Ruto said Jowie was wearing brown khaki shorts with side pockets, a maroon cap and white Tshirt.
They ordered nyama choma and potatoes, which they ate together and had a general conversation. Chelagat says that Jowie was drinking vodka with his friend while she was taking water.
She said she was there to prepare Sonko for a scheduled interview on the JKL Show later that night.
At 8.30pm, she testified, Jowie and his male friend left the place and he sent her friend Juliet money via M-Pesa to pay the bill.
Ruto said she met Maribe in 2017 during the general election campaign in which she was part of Senator Johnson Sakaja’steam.
She told the court they became friends and Maribe introduced her to Jowie.
The court heard that at around 9pm, she left the Road House Grill and packed her white Range Rover at Q lounge, which is near Royal Media Services.
They went into the media house, found Sonko, prepped him and while at the lounge they met Maribe who was working.
Ruto told the court they were at the station until Sonko finished his interview and they left at 11.30pm with Maribe for Club 40/40 in Westlands.
Ruto testified, they were at Club 40/40 along with Sonko and at around 1am Jowie entered. They were there until about 4am, she said.
Jowie went to their table and said Hi, then went to a separate small table for two and ordered a Tusker Lite.
She told the court that she left the club with Juliet in her car, while Maribe left in her car with Jowie.
She said that a few days later she learnt that a woman had been killed in a house in the Kilimani area. She testified that she was shocked that Jowie and Maribe, with whom she had no differences, had been linked to the murder.
The caretaker and the gardener of Lamuria Apartments where Monica was staying also testified.
Caretaker Reagan Buluku and gardener Stephen Wanjohi both narrated how they found Monica’s body.
The court heard that they were coming from lunch on September 20 and they met Monica’s brother George and his fiancée.
George is alleged to have told Buluku to help him get into the house because his sister was not picking his calls and later the phone was switched off.
Buluku testified that when they reached her apartment, they heard the TV was on and water was running from a tap inside.
Buluku then told Wanjohi to bring a ladder so they could access the third floor balcony and get into the house through the kitchen.
Wanjohi used the ladder to reach the balcony and entered the house through a window. He testified he could not see Monica anywhere and he was also looking for the keys so he could open the main door for the others.
He said he went to the bedroom and he could not see anyone, just by scanning the house he could not see anyone. That's when he decided to check the bathroom.
He saw Monica’s body lying in the bathtub and there were candles near the tub. Tap water was running on her body.
According to the caretaker and the gardener, both her hands and legs were tied and her throat had been slit, adding that there was blood around her neck.
Wanjohi screamed to the others outside the door, telling them to break it down as things were not good inside.
Buluku got equipment, they broke down the door and entered the house.
(Edited by V. Graham)