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Healthy Jacque Maribe back in court to know fate in murder case

By Winnie Mabel February 9th, 2024 2 min read

Dressed in bright yellow and smiling alongside her lawyer, Mr Katwa Kigen before court resumed, former TV girl Jacque Maribe was the picture of health as she awaited to know her fate in the murder case of the late businesswomen Ms Monica Kimani.

Ms Maribe and her ex-fiancee, Jowie Irungu, were back in court on February 9, 2024, for the judgement reading by Justice Grace Nzioka, weeks after the court had initially adjourned the reading to March 15, 2024.

On January 26, 2024, Mr Kigen claimed Maribe could not appear in court because she was “gravely indisposed” despite being ready for the judgement.Immediately, netizens began linking her being “gravely indisposed” with a post updated on her Instagram hours before the judgement about her potential weekend plans.

“Things to see and do this weekend…Qatar how you doing??” wrote Ms Maribe on her Instagram stories.
In the aftermath of the online trolling, Ms Maribe decried being humiliated when she was struggling with ill health, thus could not have appeared in court.
“To humiliate someone because of ill health is so wrong. And to make it clear, I have never missed court except once when I was ill. We are making it an issue that in 5 years I fell ill. Kwani mwili yangu imejengwa na matofali? (Is my body made of bricks?) Hata the time I supposedly sought time to travel we were only being respectable enough to tell the court and there was no due date interfering with that,” wrote Ms Maribe on January 26, 2024.
In December 2023, Ms Maribe, on her social platform again, complained about the court case being dragged out for years.

“It needs to stop!! 5 years I have respected the court, but also this is too much. This is not Kenya, Justice delayed is justice denied. Stop putting people’s live at limbo. If I am not culpable I’m not. I’m tired of this,” ranted Ms Maribe.

Ms Monica Kimani was brutally murdered in her Lamuria Garden apartment on September 19, 2018. She had just arrived from South Sudan and met up with friends. She was found dead after numerous phone calls by her brother, Mr George Kimani, were unanswered, forcing him to go to her house. Ms Kimani was found dead in her bathtub.

Jowie Irungu was placed at the scene of the crime following investigations and Ms Maribe was linked to the murder for assisting Mr Irungu to destroy evidence linked to the crime. The prosecution argued before court that the duo had a common intention and “acted in convert to eliminate the deceased.”

The duo denied murdering Ms Kimani.

If found guilty, Jowie and Maribe could be sentenced to death, face life imprisonment or sentenced to prison terms.

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