Murkomen, Itumbi Allegations Over DCI Secret Links With Daily Nation Raise Concerns -

Majority leader and Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen has poked holes into the relationship between the office of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Daily Nation.

This is after the local publication unravelled details linking a Court of appeal judge, Sankale Ole Kantai with Sarah Wairimu Cohen, the prime suspect in the murder of Dutch tycoon Tob Cohen.

Following the unearthing of the story and the details surrounding it, former Chief Justice, Willy Mutunga alluded that the publication had infringed on the privacy of the two involved as they had made public the details of their secret affair.

Mutunga captioned,” Is the Daily Nation in breach of the right to privacy? Reporters also get intel from investigators raising the issue of the right to a fair trial.”

Read: Justice Sankale Kantai Arrested In Connection With Tob Cohen’s Murder

Murkomen, the ever vocal legislator did not shy away from stating that there was an existing secret link between the DCI and the publication going by the details revealed from the story.

For instance, he raised some questions and concerns over how the journalists who carried the story obtained the information yet it was still under investigation adding that there was a deal where they receive first-hand information regarding serious cases of interest to the public.

Nowadays all the intel and investigation reports from DCI are first given to Daily Nation. It’s the new modus operandi! https://t.co/OZFjpacbgF

— KIPCHUMBA MURKOMEN, E.G.H (@kipmurkomen) February 21, 2020

Digital Strategist and blogger Dennis Itumbi also echoed Murkomen’s sentiments affirming that an existing agreement had been laid linking the DCI with the Daily Nation.

Itumbi took to Twitter with the caption,” Get a copy of your Daily Nation, the official DCI newspaper.”

Get your copy of @dailynation – The official @DCI_Kenya Newspaper. pic.twitter.com/AhRHXXkrc3

— Dennis Itumbi, HSC (@OleItumbi) February 21, 2020

In the Daily Nation story, very intimate issues are laid out, including conversations, meetings, phone calls and accommodation where the judge and the murder suspect are said to have spent the night.

The piece was dubbed “Intriguing Tale Of Judge and Murder Suspect”, where the judge believed to be Kantai is said to have helped a murder suspect, Sarah Wairimu Cohen to craft reports to the police.

Read: Sarah Cohen Demands Sh500 Million From DCI, DPP For Illegal Seizure Of Matrimonial Home

The judge was in Kisumu for a workshop and was residing at Acacia Premier Hotel and staying with him in Room 405 was the suspect with additional information that he paid for her air ticket via Mpesa and sent a driver to pick her up from the airport.

In one of their conversations, the judge said, “Good morning. Driver left five minutes ago. He is coming for you.”

To this, she replies, “Ok love.”

Following the brutal murder of businessman Tob Cohen whose body was found buried in a septic tank at his Kitisuru home, the case detailed the wife as the prime suspect with the judge barring the media from talking about the case until it was heard and determined.

For instance, Justice Jessie Lessit had gagged the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), DPP, victims and the defense team in the case of Tob Cohen from addressing the media in matters pertaining to the case.

However, Sarah, through a suit filed in court accused the DCI of contempt of court and wanted him and two other journalists jailed.

The journalists in question were a senior Nation editor John Kamau and The Star reporter Juma Victor Owiti.

According to Sarah, the journalists and the DCI had gone against the court order by publishing details of the murder case despite the gag.

The recent case of the intimate details of the relationship between judge Sankale and Sarah published by the nation has fueled the speculations even deeper on the dealings between the office of the DCI and the local publication.

Here are some reactions from people: