The murder trial of Dutch businessman Tob Cohen has heard how his wife, Sarah Wairimu, assured investigators that he was in the Netherlands for medical treatment despite being unable to provide details of his alleged travel.
The prosecution continued presenting evidence at the Kibera Law Courts on Wednesday, with witnesses recounting the circumstances surrounding Cohen's disappearance in July 2019, the investigations that followed and the eventual recovery of his body from a septic tank in Lower Kabete, Nairobi.
Testifying before Justice Diana Kavedza, prosecution witness 26, Fatuma Hadi Ali, then the Kilimani Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer (DCIO), told the court she received a missing-person report on July 30, 2019.
She said the Netherlands Embassy had raised concerns over Cohen's whereabouts after he became unreachable, prompting a report to the police.
Hadi testified that she subsequently contacted Wairimu and informed her that investigations into her husband's disappearance had commenced.
According to the witness, Wairimu maintained that Cohen had travelled to the Netherlands to seek medical treatment.
The court heard that Wairimu visited the police station the next day, where she reportedly told investigators she had had breakfast with Cohen before he left and that he had apologised to her.
However, when investigators asked her to provide details of the airline he had used, she was unable to do so.
She also reportedly told police that she had not communicated with her husband since his alleged departure.
When questioned about whether she was concerned by the prolonged lack of communication, Wairimu allegedly reassured investigators: “Don't worry. I know he is in the Netherlands for treatment and he will be back.”
The prosecution also presented evidence relating to the recovery of Cohen's body on September 13, 2019, after investigators received information that a body could be hidden inside a septic tank at a property in Lower Kabete.
The court heard that a witness who arrived at the scene found Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers, lawyers, and other individuals already present.
After wearing protective equipment, the witness participated in the recovery operation.
According to his testimony, Cohen's body was wrapped in a black bedsheet and tied with manila ropes. It was also covered with a polythene bag, while the head was bound with a red bathrobe.
The body was subsequently identified by Cohen's sister, Gabrielle, before being placed in a body bag and transferred to Chiromo Mortuary.
In a separate session, the prosecution presented its 27th witness, forensic document examiner John Muinde, who testified on disputed signatures allegedly linked to the deceased businessman.
Muinde told the court that his examination of signatures marked N, P and Q revealed characteristics consistent with an attempt to imitate Cohen's handwriting.
He explained that forensic document examination relies on identifying distinctive features in handwriting, including pen movement, letter proportions, structural formation and the overall size of signatures.
Citing the forensic principle of individuality associated with Dr Paul Kirk, Muinde said every object possesses unique characteristics that cannot be reproduced with absolute precision.
He described the disputed signatures as simulated handwriting, explaining that a person attempting to forge a signature may study and practise the original before reproducing it.
Using enlarged images, the examiner demonstrated how he compared the questioned signatures with Cohen's known handwriting samples.
The testimony forms part of the prosecution's efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding Cohen's death and events preceding his disappearance.