Joseph Irungu, alias ‘Jowie’, who was indicted for the murder of Kenyan businesswoman Monica Kimani, will find out his destiny on Friday, March 8.

This comes after he was convicted guilty of the murder in a verdict issued by Lady Justice Grace Nzioka on February 9, putting the murder trial, which began in 2018, to an end.

A Nairobi court found that the prosecution had presented sufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Jowie had slain Monica.

Former TV news reporter Jacque Maribe, who was prosecuted alongside Irungu, was cleared of murder, with the judge remarking that it was not the correct charge that the prosecution would have preferred against her.

“Having considered the evidence in this matter it is the finding of this court that the prosecution has adduced adequate evidence and has met the threshold… It is the finding of this court that the first accused person murdered the deceased,” ruled Justice Grace Nzioka.

She went on; “The first accused person stole the ID of Dominic Bisera two days before the commission of the offence, armed himself with a gun, carried a Kanzu, put it over his clothes, went to Lamuria gardens, disguised his identity, gained access to the apartment of the deceased, murdered the deceased, left the deceased’s house, changed his clothes and eventually went home and burnt the clothes which he wore during the commission of the offnce.”

“It is the finding of this court that all this evidence taken cumulatively leads to a strong conclusion that the first accused person murdered the deceased,” ruled Justice Nzioka.

In Maribe’s case, the judge determined that the evidence presented by the prosecution against her did not locate her in the deceased’s home on the fateful night, exonerating her from the allegation.

“There was no evidence that she had ever communicated with the deceased. The evidence that the prosecution has brought before this court on the second accused person relates to events of September 20, 2018, and that is the shooting incident,” noted Justice Nzioka. 

The judge, however, noted that Maribe had been found to have offered contradictory information while documenting her prior comments on how Jowie got a gunshot wound, classifying the offense as providing misleading information to a public worker.

In this regard, the judge stated that it is the responsibility of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to decide what action to take.

“The office of the DPP knows their mandate. The resolve is that the prosecution did not adduce adequate evidence for this court to find the second accused person of the offence of murder of Monica Nyawira Kimani on the night of 19th September 2018. The first accused person is convicted on the charge (murder) while the second accused person is acquitted of the charge,” concluded the judge.