• A show of might between Wairimu's lawyers led by Philip Murgor, police officers and detectives threatened to derail the process.
• Lawyers and detectives both wanted exclusive rights to film the activities in the home.
Sarah Wairimu collected her clothes, handbags and make-up kits from her Kitusuru home yesterday amid a push and pull between her lawyers and police.
Wairimu, the prime suspect in the murder of her Dutch businessman Tob Cohen, had secured a court order last week allowing her to access the property. She has denied the charges.
A show of might between Wairimu's lawyers led by Philip Murgor, police officers and detectives threatened to derail the process.
The two sides initially failed to agree on the basic rules of engagement. Lawyers and detectives both wanted exclusive rights to film the activities in the home.
They also disagreed on who would be allowed to gain entry into the Sh400 million mansion.
While the detectives wanted journalists and representatives of the Cohen siblings — Gabriel and Bernard — allowed in, Murgor strongly objected.
He said that the court order did not allow the press.
“We are only going to allow people who were allowed by the court as this is a court process. The order only mentioned the applicant and her lawyers as well as the facilitating officers,” he said.
Murgor also demanded that they are allowed to film the activities as the DCI officers were doing.
"You are prosecuting us. So you want to film it but not us? It won't happen, " he told Inspector Maxwell Otieno who is the lead investigator in the case.
He added, "You're a junior here. We can only take such restrictive instructions from your seniors. Better Kinoti be here.
The momentary dispute prolonged for over two hours the process that should have started at 11am.
When the Cohen family lawyers Danstan Omari and Cliff Ombetta arrived to take part, Murgor barred them from participating.
"It's a firm no. Unless your names are on the order," he said.
After a long negotiation, the sides agreed that the filming will be done only by the DCI team. Family representatives, including Wairimu's sister, were denied access.
Wairimu, Murgor and the DCI detectives then moved from one room to next as the widow picked her clothes and handbags. She unpacked for recording each item, and tucked them back in the bags.
The collection process ended towards 6pm, with journalists kept at bay outside the gate.
“People were saying my client had nothing. The clothes, shoes, handbags are uncountable. They were in multiple wardrobes," Murgor said.
Once done, a calm Wairimu emerged from the home and thanked journalists who had braved the cold and drizzle to report on the matter.
“I came here in the morning and you've waited for us the whole day. Thank you so much," she said.
The home will remain under police guard pending further police orders, Murgor told journalists. The belongings were loaded onto a truck.
The court had declined Wairimu's prayer to collect other materials including her photographs, utensils, alcohol, exotic breed dogs and her daughter's belongings.
The next battle, the Star has learnt, is to take back the widow's car, which has been held by the police since her arrest last year.