Joseph Irungu aka Jowie has been having it rough for the last 435 days in remand at Kamiti Maximum Prison.
He is the main suspect in the death of slain businesswoman, Monicah Kimani. His then-fiancée, Jacque Maribe was also a suspect but was released on bail and now her life is back to normal.
As she is on holiday, Jowie says he is suffering. In an interview with Sunday Nation, Jowie says he is saddened by the reality of being deserted by those he thought were close to him. He is only left with family and a hand full of friends yet he was termed as the man of the people.
“At least every Tuesday, my parents come to see me. They travel from Nakuru to Kiambu every week.
Since this is a maximum-security prison, you can imagine someone who left Nakuru at 6 am to come and see you early is given only ten minutes to talk to you. And it’s strictly 10 minutes” Jowie says.
When pictures of him in court emerged last week, Jowie looked good but his life in prison is not easy. He says he is detained in isolation, and only gets ten minute visits from friends who take the long flight from as far as Dubai and family, adding that it pains him.
Some of my friends think they’ll have 30 minutes or one hour of speaking with me. They are given 10 minutes and wonder: ‘We took a flight to come talk to you for 10 minutes, surely?
Jowie weapon
The only activity he engages in on a daily is crashing insects and slapping mosquitoes.
In the interview, he experienced emotional trauma. From a place where he is being bullied by prison wardens and he has no one to talk to because he is in isolation.
Jacque Maribe appreciates her father after his visit to support Jowie
His application for bail has been denied by the court who described him as a dangerous man who posed a great danger to witnesses should he be released.
Monicah Kimani Jowie
But one lesson for Jowie in that one year plus is on the people in his life. He can now count the real friends in life and they have turned out to be few.
The case is still ongoing with weekly discoveries based on evidence collected.
