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A witness in the murder case against Joseph Irungu alias Jowie and journalist Jacque Maribe was yesterday put to task to confirm if he was a lover to the murdered businesswoman Monica Kimani or not.

 Antony Kariuki, a businessman, told trial judge, Lady Justice Grace Nzioka that the deceased had sent him a text message at 11pm saying ‘come help me’ which he found weird because they were not lovers. 

“I found the statement weird because my relationship with her had not moved to the level but I responded,” he said.

 Kariuki said that they had met on September 19, 2018 at around 9.20pm. Kariuki said he drove his car to Lamuria Gardens to meet Monica again after meeting her for the first time on August 25, 2018.

The witness was testifying in a case where Irungu and Maribe are charged with Monica’s murder in 2018.

He told the court that he first met the deceased in Nyeri at a dowry ceremony for his friend identified as Willis on August 25, 2018.

“It was my first time to see Monica and it was Willis who introduced me to her. They were working together in South Sudan,” he said. 

The witness told the court that at that point, they exchanged numbers and talked frequently with Monica. 

Kariuki and Monica met again at her residence after some weeks. She gave him directions to her place. 

The court heard they wanted to discuss business opportunities in Sudan as Monica had told him that she ran a family business in South Sudan. 

On September 19, 2018, at around 9.20 pm, the witness drove to Lamuria Gardens to see Monica. He parked his car inside the compound, the court heard. 

“This was the second time and I was not asked for identification card as I had given out the first time and I told them I was not taking long.

Monica came down where I had parked, hugged me and told me she was with two visitors in her house, a Lebanese and a security guard from State House,” said the witness.

With that, he left and headed straight to his house but at around 11pm, she sent him a message stating thus; “Come and help me sleep.”  On cross examination,  he denied that he was a boyfriend to the deceased.