Date: November 8, 2025 – The widow of slain Dutch tycoon Tob Cohen, Sarah Wairimu Kamotho, was on Friday, November 8, 2025, arraigned at the Kibera Law Courts to face fresh charges of giving false information to police and swearing a false affidavit in relation to the alleged loss of her passport, No. BK043532.
According to a detailed statement released by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on X (formerly Twitter), the case marks a significant development in the long-running legal battles involving Wairimu, who remains the key suspect in the brutal murder of her late husband, Tob Cohen — a case that has gripped the nation since 2019.
DCI Uncovers Elaborate Deception
The DCI stated that after months of painstaking investigation, detectives established that Sarah Wairimu knowingly provided false information to the officer in charge of a local police station, falsely reporting that her passport had been lost.
This deceptive act led to the issuance of a police abstract, a document that typically enables individuals to replace lost official documents. However, the DCI later discovered that the passport in question had not been lost but was instead in the custody of investigators as part of the ongoing Cohen murder probe.
The DCI statement read in part:
“Investigations have revealed that the accused, Sarah Wairimu Kamotho, deliberately misled police officers and swore a false affidavit to facilitate the illegal acquisition of a new passport, despite knowing that her original travel document was being held by DCI officers as evidence.”
False Affidavit Before Nyeri Advocate
The investigation further revealed that on the same day she filed the false police report, Wairimu traveled to Pamki House in Nyeri Town, where she appeared before Advocate Muchiri wa Gathoni and swore a false affidavit claiming that her passport was lost.
Using both the police abstract and the false affidavit, Wairimu then proceeded to the Immigration Department in Nairobi, where she applied for a replacement passport. Detectives noted that she did so fully aware that her initial passport was under DCI custody, a move that now forms the basis of the current charges.
ODPP Approves Charges
Upon reviewing the DCI’s investigation file, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) approved two charges against Wairimu:
- Giving false information to a police officer under Section 129(a) of the Penal Code.
- Swearing a false affidavit under Section 114 of the Penal Code.
Following the ODPP’s approval, Wairimu was formally charged before Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul at the Kibera Law Courts.
Wairimu Denies Charges, Remanded at Lang’ata Prison
During her appearance in court, Sarah Wairimu denied both charges, maintaining her innocence. Her legal team requested bail, but the prosecution objected, citing the seriousness of the offense and her ongoing murder trial.
The court ordered that Wairimu be remanded at Lang’ata Women’s Prison pending further proceedings.
The case has been scheduled for mention on November 25, 2025, when a pretrial conference will take place to set the direction of the hearing.
Background: The Tob Cohen Murder Case
The new charges come as the latest twist in the ongoing Tob Cohen murder saga, which has remained one of Kenya’s most publicized criminal cases. Tob Cohen, a wealthy Dutch businessman and golf enthusiast, was found murdered and buried in a septic tank at his home in Kitusuru, Nairobi, in September 2019.
Sarah Wairimu was arrested and charged with his murder, but she has consistently maintained her innocence, accusing law enforcement agencies of framing her. The case has since seen multiple delays, with her legal team citing alleged procedural flaws in the investigations.
Public Reaction and Legal Implications
The new charges have reignited public debate about justice in the Cohen case, with many Kenyans taking to social media to express mixed reactions. Some have described the fresh charges as a major breakthrough, while others view them as a distraction from the unresolved murder trial.
Legal analysts note that if convicted of the current offenses, Wairimu could face imprisonment, hefty fines, or both, under the Penal Code provisions related to false swearing and misinformation to law enforcement.
As the case moves to its next phase, all eyes will once again be on the Kibera Law Courts, where the legal fate of Sarah Wairimu continues to unfold.
