Kenya judge accused of coaching murder suspect

Image source, AFP

Image caption, The alleged link between a judge and a murder suspect has led some to questions about the state of Kenya's courts

A Kenyan judge has been arrested and accused of coaching the main suspect in a murder trial - a widow whose husband was found in a septic tank.

Appeal Court Judge Sankale ole Kantai did not comment after his alleged link to murder suspect Sarah Wairimu came under scrutiny.

In September the body of her husband, Dutch businessman Tob Cohen, was found two months after he had gone missing.

Ms Wairimu pleaded not guilty to her husband's murder and is awaiting trial.

Lord Justice Kantai is accused of helping the suspect with her statement for the police about her husband's death.

He was arrested on Friday, released on bail and is due early next week to appear in court on charges of conspiring to defeat justice and interfering with witnesses.

The Kenyan press has described this as "one of the most famous murder cases in Kenya in recent times".

The murder victim, Mr Cohen, immigrated to Kenya as an employee of Philips East Africa and later started his own company organising golf trips.

He married Ms Wairimu, who was his personal assistant, in 2007.

He went missing in July last year and his body was found in September, blindfolded and tied up in a septic tank.