Phone records link Citizen TV anchor’s fiancé to Kilimani murder

Citizen TV anchor Jacque Maribe’s fiancé has been arrested in connection with last week’s macabre killing of a former employee with Nation Media Group Monica Kimani at an apartment in Kilimani, Nairobi.

Joseph Irungu aka Joe Jowi was arrested after he went to hospital with a bullet wound after allegedly being shot by unknown assailants after dropping the anchor at Royal Park Estate in Lang’ata but police say the story does not add up because no spent cartridges were found at the scene neither were reports of a shooting incident on Thursday night.

Irungu was driven to hospital on Friday morning by Maribe on the day Ms Kimani’s body was discovered in a bathtub with her throat slit and hands tied from behind. They later reported the shooting incident at Lang’ata Police Station. Irungu, who got engaged to Ms Maribe at a colourful event streamed live on social media, was on Tuesday being grilled at Kilimani Police Station.

Detectives now believe he was among the three people who visited her at a house at Luciane Apartments, on Kitale Lane off Denis Pritt Road, on Wednesday night on the same day she is believed to have been killed. Two of them signed in as Joe and Owen while a third who was wearing a Kanzu did not register with security. He has since been positively identified as Irungu.

Ms Kimani had arrived from Juba, South Sudan where she is said to have been running a family business and was scheduled to go for holiday in Dubai last Friday only to end up dead. Coincidentally, Irungu also works in Dubai as a club bouncer.

According to some media reports, he was in contact with the deceased and even picked her from the airport. His mobile phone records have also been traced to the Kilimani apartments.

Ms Kimani’s body was discovered by her brother who forced his way into the house after she failed to respond to telephone calls and messages. A dress she had bought for her birthday later this month as well as house and car keys were found missing.