Kenyanbulletin.com has learnt that Sarah Wairimu Kamotho, the estranged wife of murdered Dutch businessman Tob Cohen, is building a hotel near her rural home in Njigari village in Othaya, Nyeri County.
Her neighbours in Njigari say Ms Wairimu bought the one-acre land at an area bordering the Aberdares forest over five years ago and is in the process of putting up a hotel, whose construction seems to have stalled.
According to the villagers, the couple used to frequent the project together and would spend their nights in a semi-permanent prefabricated house in the same compound.
The neighbours say that the couple gradually stopped visiting the project together. The Dutchman would visit alone while the wife would come in company of strangers.
Ms Wairimu visited in March and June while the man was last seen there around April.
In his last tour, Cohen took photos of the upcoming facility and cautioned the neighbours against talking about his visit to strangers, suggesting that the hotel could be part of a dispute the couple was locked in before Mr Cohen was murdered.
“The Mzungu (Cohen) used to be friendly and outgoing. He would engage in general talk with us. But in his April tour, he appeared cautious and did not speak much,” said Solomon Muchiri.
In March, the estranged wife reportedly visited with people in “posh cars”.
The local residents say the contractor and the workers left the site the same month.
“Ms Wairimu was last here around end of June, and she was in company of another woman. They spent some time and left,” said another neighbour, David Muriithi.
The construction of the hotel appears to have been targeting people who prefer rural hideouts to unwind.
During some of the visits, neighbours say Ms Wairimu would be accompanied by armed police officers from Munyange Police Station.
