Jacque Maribe and Jowie Irungu will today know their fate on the murder case of Monica Kimani, which occurred in September 2018.

The former Citizen TV journalist is facing charge alongside her ex-fiancé Joseph Irungu alias Jowie. The state alleges the duo on the night of September 19, 2018, at an undetermined time at Limuria Gardens Apartment on Kitale Lane in Kilimani, Nairobi, jointly with others not before the court murdered Monica Kimani.

Her body was found in a bathtub with her throat slit. Her hands and feet were tied behind her back and her mouth taped shut. Police said the murder would have required more than one man to execute.

Monica Kimani held a diploma in International Relations from Kenya Polytechnic. She did her internship in the Kenyan Embassy in Juba, South Sudan. She frequently travelled to Juba and returned with large amounts of money in US dollars.

Just before her murder, she was to travel out of the country shortly and is said to have called her friend Jowie.

Jacque and Jowie have been on trial since 2018, with the prosecution having called 35 witnesses.

Maribe at the time had just been promoted to the position of Friday prime time news anchor at citizen Tv, the gravity made Justice Wakiaga issue directions requiring Maribe not to read news, comment or participate in any interview directly or indirectly related to the murder.

Jowie denied his involvement in the murder. He told the court the blood-stained shorts used to nail him were not his. Kimani’s blood was on the shorts. He also admitted that he lied to the police regarding a gunshot wound to his left shoulder. Maribe defended herself saying she was with the former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko on the fateful night.

If found guilty, Maribe and Jowie’s penalty will be death sentence, a period of life imprisonment. The murder of Monica Kimani shocked the nation especially because of throat slitting, it generated great interest both in main and social media.