Im really suffering, Jowie tells court as he makes fresh bail plea

Im really suffering, Jowie tells court as he makes fresh bail plea

Joseph ‘Jowie’ Irungu, the prime suspect in the murder of Monica Kimani, has made a fresh bail application claiming he is suffering in prison.

Jowie, speaking in court on Thursday, asked the court to consider the time he has already been in custody and free him.

The suspect, whose previous bail applications have been denied, further sought to assure the court that if released “I have no intent to go anywhere.”

“My second accused (Jacque Maribe) was granted bail and she never absconded court. I deserve the same,” he said.

Jowie made the application after George Kimani, the deceased’s brother, relived the last moments with her before the court.

George told the court that he communicated with Monica on WhatsApp and she used her Safaricom number on the day she arrived from Juba.

He narrated how he called her later that night at around 8pm and she reportedly told him that she was getting into a cab and asked him to hang up so that she could deliver a package to someone.

Kimani told the court that this was the last communication he had with his sister that night, adding that he tried calling her the next day but Monica’s phone remained unanswered.

This prompted the mother to send him to check on her.

George recounted how he arrived at Lamuria Gardens off Dennis Pritt Road only to find the house locked from the inside, the keys still on the door.

“We went to the owner of the apartment and explained to her….she did not take long and instructions were given to the caretaker to find a way we could be assisted to access the house.…We decided to take a ladder and the gardener went up through the window,” said Kimani.

“When he went through he started looking for the doors but we asked him to first find out whether Monica was in the house, in less than a minute, he came to us and looked confused…When we asked, he just signaled at us and went back to the door started knocking it,” he continued.

Kimani told the court that when he saw the caretaker’s reaction, he became alarmed; they decided to use a hammer to break down the door and gain entry.

“The gardener told us she is in the bathroom. We all ran to the bathroom and found my sister there, dead,” said Kimani.

“Both taps in the kitchen were opened… When we were given the description of the person who was with my sister that is when I thought that could be Jowie,” he added.

A report by the Government analyst presented in court on Wednesday had also linked Jowie to the scene of crime; the late Monica Kimani’s apartment.

The report includes analysis of buccal swabs of the two main suspects – Jowie and Maribe – as well as former suspects Brian Kassaine and Jennings Orlando Odhiambo.

A buccal swab is the process of taking samples from inside a person’s cheek for a DNA test.

According to the conclusion of the 5-page report, DNA profile generated from the swab from a pillow and walking closet matched the DNA profile generated from the swab labelled Joseph Kuria Irungu

Two other DNA profiles of unidentified persons were however also generated from other items, one being that of a woman and another of an unidentified man.

Maribe was on October 30, 2018 released on a cash bail of Ksh. 1 million with three sureties of a similar amount or Ksh. 2 million bond with one surety of a similar amount.

In his ruling, Justice James Wakiaga indicated that there was no indication that she is a flight risk and Prosecution did not prove that she would interfere with witnesses.

In denying Jowie bail, the court ruled that he has extensively traveled to Middle East with no known assets in the country and his willingness to surrender the passport is no guarantee that he will not jump bail or abscond court.

Jowie is presently being held at the Kamiti Maximum Prison.

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