Sarah Wairimu Cohen charged with lying to police officers, swearing false affidavit

Sarah Wairimu Kamotho, the woman accused of the murder of her husband Tob Cohen in 2019, has been charged with giving false information to a police officer and swearing a false affidavit over the alleged loss of her passport.

Appearing before Principal Magistrate Zainab Abdul at the Kibera Law Courts on Friday, Wairimu denied the two charges and remains remanded at Lang’ata Women’s Prison, where she is also facing trial for the murder of her husband, the late Dutch businessman Tob Cohen.

According to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the court heard that on February 20, 2023, at Munyange Police Station in Othaya, Nyeri County, Wairimu, “knowingly and maliciously gave false information to Chief Inspector Mercy Riungu, the Officer Commanding Station (OCS), claiming that her passport was lost.”

The false report prompted police to issue her a police abstract, which prosecutors say was obtained fraudulently.

In a second count, Wairimu was accused of false swearing contrary to Section 114 as read with Section 36 of the Penal Code.

“On the same day, at Pamki House in Nyeri Town, she appeared before Advocate Muchiri wa Gathoni and swore a false affidavit claiming her passport was lost, knowing it was not,” stated the ODPP.

The new case adds to Wairimu’s mounting legal troubles, as she continues to face a separate murder charge linked to Cohen’s death in 2019.

In June this year, the High Court scheduled her bail hearing for June 4, 2025, after the State sought more time to respond to her application.

Her lawyer, Conrad Maloba, argued for her release, insisting she was not a flight risk and had shown willingness to stand trial.

However, Justice Diana Kavedza had earlier denied her bail in February 2025, ruling that she would remain at Lang’ata Women’s Prison until two key prosecution witnesses testified. The judge cited concerns about possible witness intimidation and interference.

That ruling followed earlier court sessions in which a police officer testified that Wairimu had allegedly intimidated her three times during the ongoing trial.

“The accused needs first to show remorse, which she has not done, before this court can vacate its orders,” Justice Kavedza ruled at the time.

The prosecution has lined up 78 witnesses in the Tob Cohen murder case, with testimony revealing how Cohen’s body was discovered concealed inside a cemented underground water tank at his Kitisuru home.