Court Directs Citizen TV News Anchor Jacque Maribe be Detained for 10 Days in Monica Kimani's Murder Case

Citizen TV news anchor Jacque Maribe was on Monday morning arraigned at the Kiambu Law Courts over the murder of businesswoman Monica Kimani.

Principal Magistrate Justus Kituku allowed police to detain the journalist for 10 more days to allow detectives complete investigations into the killing of Ms Kimani.

The court directed the suspect be held at the Gigiri Police Station, where she spent the weekend following her arrest on Saturday.

“I am convinced that compelling reasons do exist to warrant detention in custody. In the interest of justice I have granted the prosecution 10 days to detain the suspect at Gigiri police station,” directed the judge.

The prosecution had sought to detain the TV anchor for 14 days arguing that investigators needed more time to collect DNA samples from her as well as statements from Maribe’s friends and colleagues.

Magistrate Kituku further directed that Maribe be granted access to her lawyers and should only be interrogated in their presence. This was after her attorney Katwa Kigen told the court that police had “blackmailed, intimidated and cajoled,” her into recording statements.

Monica was murdered at her apartment in Nairobi’s Kilimani estate and her body dumped in a bathtub with the throat slit.

Jacque's fiancée, Joseph Irungu alias Jowie—a prime suspect in the murder, was apprehended last week and charged. The court allowed police to hold him for 10 days pending conclusion of investigations.

Monica was killed hours after returning to the country from South Sudan, where she reportedly run a family business. Her brother said Monica had planned to fly to Dubai the next day to meet her South Sudanese boyfriend and proceed for vacation.

The 29-year-old woman was laid to rest at her parents home in Gilgil, Nakuru county on Friday.