Cohen interred at the Jewish Cemetery in Nairobi after quorum attained

Jewish Rabbis lower the remains of Tob Cohen into the grave at the Jewish Cemetery in Nairobi. [File, Standard]

Businessman Tob Cohen has finally been interred at the Jewish Cemetery in Nairobi after a quorum of 10 Jewish male adults was attained.

The burial was postponed to Tuesday because there weren’t enough Jewish adults to constitute a quorum for the interment.

A huge turnout was reported at Cohen's interment, as local residents showed up to witness the final journey of a man they never knew, and only heard of about a month ago.

While some of the Jewish men who performed the rite were in black coats, the majority were in casual shirts and jeans. Head bowed, they listened as Cohen was laid to rest.

Sarah Wairimu, in a black flowered blouse, folded her arms in front of her chest, watching with a sad face, her husband’s casket being lowered six feet under, and she stood accused of his murder.

Next to her, in dark glasses, was her lawyer Philip Murgor, perhaps the only man who believes her side of the story.

Close to them were officers, a stark reminder that Wairimu is still a murder suspect.

The mood was sombre, but the Jews played it cool, with chatter characterised by weak smiles.

Finally, a black shofar - musical horn typically made of a ram's horn - was blown as an expression of extreme anguish and grief, and Cohen’s body was buried.

The Dutchman, a former CEO of Philips Electronics East Africa, was reported missing from their Lower Kabete home in Nairobi between July 19 and July 20, 2019.

His wife Wairimu was arrested days after his disappearance and while in police custody, Cohen’s body was found in a septic tank at his home in Kitisuru, Spring Valley, Nairobi on September 13.