Woman denies any part in the killings of her Dutch tycoon husband and guard

The widow of slain Dutch tycoon Herman Rouwenhorst has been charged with his murder.

Riziki Cherono Ali was on Friday accused of killing her husband and their guard Evans Pole Boroko on the night of June 4, 2021, at Roco Apartments in Shanzu within Mombasa County.

She denied the charges before Justice Ann Ong’injo at a Mombasa Law Court.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), through Abdi Hassan, opposed Ali’s release on bond.

He said three more suspects had been arrested and detained for 21 days in connection to Boroko’s murder.

Investigating officer Reuben Mwaniki, in a sworn affidavit, said Ali planned the killings for her own benefit.

The officer said Ali took the perpetrators to the house before the incident was committed and showed them the layout.

“The accused person gave keys to the perpetrators to access the house on the material date when the murder was executed,” said Mwaniki.

But in her replying affidavit, Ali said she did not kill her husband and was most interested in knowing the truth.

She asked the court to release her on Sh100,000 cash bail or an alternative bond of Sh400,000 plus one surety of the same amount.

Ali said she had been incarcerated for 30 days since July 22, 2021. But the DPP opposed her release on grounds that her children were witnesses in the case.

In her statement to the police, Ali said she woke up to find two people standing next to her bedside and three others on her husband’s side while demanding money. The case is set for pretrial on August 16, 2021.