Slain Dutch businessman Tob Cohen removed his wife, Sarah Wairimu, and her daughter from his final will, leaving his estate to his sister Gabriella, niece, and nephew instead, a Nairobi court heard on Tuesday.
Testifying in Cohen’s murder trial at the Kibera High Court, long-time lawyer and the 26th witness in the murder case against Ms Wairimu – Geoffrey Chege Kirundi – detailed how Cohen altered his estate plans and questioned the authenticity of a competing succession document.
Signature Discrepancies Raise Authenticity Questions
Kirundi, who knew and represented Cohen since 2000, testified that he was thoroughly familiar with the businessman’s signature from decades of professional and social interactions.
Detectives investigating Cohen’s death presented Kirundi with a disputed succession document dated April 30, 2019, which claimed to bear Cohen’s signature. After comparing it with genuine files from his office, Kirundi concluded the document was a forgery.
“I must say I was familiar with Tob Cohen’s signature. He had signed so many documents in my office for the period we had been together as a friend and client. I was able to discern that this signature did not belong to Tob Cohen,” he testified.
He pointed specifically to structural differences in the penmanship.
“This particular document, in my view, was not signed by Tob Cohen.
