Lawyer Testifies Cohen’s Final Will Excluded Wife and Daughter

Long-time lawyer Geoffrey Chege Kirundi testified at the Kibera High Court that the late Dutch businessman Tob Cohen had removed his wife Sarah Wairimu and her daughter from his final will.

Kirundi, who has known Cohen since 2000, said Cohen instructed his law firm to revise an earlier will that had named Sarah as the sole beneficiary and to name other relatives instead.

The Star and Tuko Kenya reported that Kirundi said the final document named Cohen’s niece and nephew as beneficiaries, Mwakilishi reported that the final will allocated the estate to Cohen’s sister Gabriella and her son, and Nairobi Wire said the final will named sister Gabriella, niece and nephew.

Kirundi also said he prepared three successive wills for Cohen – an initial one leaving the estate to Sarah and her daughter, a second removing the daughter, and a final one that left them nothing.

He read the final will at his Bruce House Chambers in the presence of relatives and lawyers Danstan Omari and Cliff Ombeta after Cohen’s burial.

Kirundi questioned the authenticity of a separate succession document dated April 30, 2019, saying detectives showed him a copy and he compared it with genuine signatures and found the loops and finishing strokes did not match Cohen’s known signature.

He described Cohen as a sociable client who sometimes preferred discussing legal matters over lunch rather than in the office.

Kirundi recounted that Cohen bought his Kitisuru residence for KSh1.5 million and in March 2009 instructed the firm to transfer the property into joint ownership with Sarah; Kirundi advised against it because Sarah was already the sole beneficiary, but Cohen insisted.

Cohen emailed Kirundi on April 7, 2009 to put the transfer on hold, later reversed the decision, obtained a stamp duty exemption and had the documents stamped, but cancelled the process before registration, so the joint ownership never materialised.

Cohen disappeared from his Kitisuru home in July 2019 and his body was recovered in September 2019 from an underground water tank at the property.

Sarah Wairimu has been charged with Cohen’s murder, has denied the charges and remains remanded at Lang’ata Women’s Prison; the trial continues before Justice Diana Kavedza.