Court Gives DCI Four More Days to Hold Suspects as Investigations Into Dr Victoria Mutiso’s Murder Intensify
A Nairobi court has given the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) four additional days to continue holding two suspects as detectives pursue more evidence in the murder investigation involving renowned psychiatrist and mental health researcher Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso.
The latest court decision comes as investigators continue to piece together the circumstances surrounding the killing, which has attracted widespread public attention because of the nature of the shooting, the alleged involvement of serving police officers and claims that the murder may have been connected to a long-running property dispute.
Dr Mutiso was fatally shot on July 29, 2026, while travelling in an Uber vehicle in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area. Investigators have described the killing as a carefully planned operation, with detectives pursuing several suspects believed to have played different roles before, during and after the shooting.
The decision to give the DCI four more days means the investigation remains active as detectives seek to complete outstanding inquiries before the suspects are presented for further directions. The additional period is also expected to give investigators more time to examine evidence and establish the roles of people who may have been involved in the alleged plot.
The case has developed significantly since Dr Mutiso was killed. What initially appeared to be a targeted shooting has gradually expanded into a complex investigation involving police officers, civilian suspects, vehicles, firearms, alleged financiers and a possible property dispute.
According to the DCI, Dr Mutiso was travelling from Tanga Heights Apartments towards Upper Hill on the morning of July 29 when a black Toyota Land Cruiser Prado allegedly blocked the Uber vehicle along Mawensi Road. A gunman then opened fire at the vehicle, hitting Dr Mutiso three times. She was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting immediately raised questions about whether the attack had been planned in advance. Detectives later told the courts that their investigations had uncovered evidence pointing to a coordinated operation rather than a random act of violence.
Investigators have also been examining events that occurred weeks before the murder. According to court documents, Dr Mutiso had reported an earlier incident in which two armed men on a motorcycle allegedly confronted her near Junction Mall along Ngong Road on July 7. One of the men was reportedly carrying a firearm.
She reported the incident at Kilimani Police Station. Investigators later began examining whether the earlier confrontation was connected to her eventual killing. The alleged attack has become an important part of the wider investigation because it could provide clues about whether Dr Mutiso had been under surveillance before she was killed.
The investigation has since brought several people into custody.
Among those previously detained are Police Constable Elijah Kibelion Kimoi, Daniel Mwangi Njoroge and Kevin Ngugi Kinuthia. A Nairobi court granted the DCI 30 days to hold the three while detectives continued investigating the case. They were detained separately at Ruaraka, Pangani and Gigiri police stations.
The DCI told the court that the investigation required more time because detectives were still pursuing additional suspects and completing forensic and digital examinations.
Investigators said they needed to analyse CCTV footage, examine call-data records, investigate vehicles and motorcycles allegedly connected to the shooting, recover additional firearms and record statements from witnesses who had not yet been interviewed.
The prosecution also argued that releasing suspects while investigations were still underway could create a risk of interference with witnesses or evidence. Detectives said some people believed to have been involved in the killing remained at large at the time of earlier court proceedings.
The case took another major turn after the DCI announced that investigators had identified serving police officers among those allegedly involved.
DCI Director Mohamed Amin said Police Constable Elijah Kibellion Kimoi had been identified as the alleged gunman. According to the DCI, forensic investigations placed him at the crime scene and investigators believe he was the person who fired the fatal shots.
The DCI also named Inspector Kenneth Kipkemboi Sang as an alleged link between the people who financed the operation and the team that carried it out. Sang was also said to be the officer to whom the firearm allegedly used in the killing had been issued. He remained at large according to the DCI’s earlier account.
Detectives further identified Daniel Mwangi Njoroge as the alleged driver of a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado that was used to block the Uber vehicle. Another suspect, Kelvin Ngugi Kinuthia, was identified as the alleged boda boda rider who transported the suspected gunman to and from the scene.
The DCI has said a firearm recovered during the investigation was subjected to ballistic analysis and allegedly matched the weapon used in Dr Mutiso’s killing. Investigators have presented this as one of the significant pieces of evidence they have gathered in their attempt to reconstruct what happened on the morning of July 29.
The investigation has also taken detectives beyond Kenya.
On August 30, the DCI announced the arrest of three additional suspects in an operation involving Nairobi and Kampala. Police Constable Bett Kiplangat Collins and civilian Pius Muiru Mbugua were arrested in Kampala with assistance from Ugandan authorities, while Samuel Karanja Gathoni, also known as “Lawyer”, was intercepted in Nairobi.
According to the DCI, Bett was allegedly involved in surveillance and acted as a co-driver to Njoroge, while Mbugua was allegedly a link between the alleged execution team and the person who contracted them. Investigators described him as a paymaster who allegedly moved money used for logistics and movement of the suspected hit team.
The three were subsequently brought before a Nairobi court, which ordered that they remain in custody for 30 days as investigators continued with the inquiry. The court ordered that they be held separately while the DCI pursued additional evidence and examined their alleged roles in the killing.
The arrests have added another layer to a case that has continued to generate public interest because of the number of people investigators believe may have been involved.
At the centre of the investigation is also a property dispute.
The DCI has linked the alleged motive to a long-running dispute involving land parcel LR No. 1504/13 in Athi River, Machakos County. Investigators have alleged that Dr Mutiso had lodged a caveat over the property.
The DCI has previously identified Rose Mbithe Mulwa, described as the former wife of Dr Mutiso’s husband, together with her son Chris Mulwa, as alleged organisers and financiers of the plot. Both have been detained in connection with the investigation.
The alleged property dispute has therefore become an important line of inquiry for detectives seeking to establish why Dr Mutiso may have been targeted.
However, the allegations remain matters for the courts to determine. Being arrested, detained or named as a suspect does not amount to a conviction, and every accused person remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The investigation has also been complicated by questions surrounding the alleged involvement of police officers.
The possibility that serving officers could have participated in a targeted killing has raised concerns about accountability within the National Police Service. The DCI has itself described the alleged involvement of officers as a serious betrayal of public trust.
At the same time, the investigation has placed significant pressure on detectives to provide clear evidence and establish the complete chain of events. The public interest in the case means that every new development is likely to attract intense scrutiny.
The latest four-day extension therefore gives investigators a limited window to complete outstanding work involving the two suspects affected by the latest order.
For the DCI, the additional days could be important as detectives seek to compare statements, examine forensic findings and establish whether the suspects’ alleged roles fit into the wider account already presented by investigators.
The investigation is no longer focused only on identifying the person who pulled the trigger. Detectives are attempting to establish who planned the killing, who financed it, who provided logistical support, who supplied the weapon and whether the alleged plot had connections to other incidents.
That broader approach could prove important if the prosecution eventually moves to trial.
The investigation has also raised questions about whether Dr Mutiso’s earlier security concerns were adequately addressed. Her reported encounter with armed men weeks before her death is particularly significant because investigators are examining whether it represented an earlier stage of the alleged plan.
The fact that she reported the incident before her death could provide detectives with information about individuals who may have been monitoring her movements.
Investigators have also been looking at phone records, CCTV footage and movements of vehicles believed to have been used in the operation. Such evidence can help establish timelines and connections between suspects.
The DCI has previously told the court that some of these investigations were still incomplete. Detectives were seeking additional witness statements, forensic results and digital evidence as they attempted to build a complete case.
Another important aspect of the case is the alleged connection between Dr Mutiso’s murder and the killing of lawyer Matthew Kyalo Mbobu.
Investigators have been examining whether individuals connected to the two cases could have interacted or played roles in both incidents. Mbobu had reportedly represented Dr Mutiso’s husband in a property dispute involving his former wife, adding another line of inquiry for investigators.
However, the alleged connection remains part of the investigation and should not be treated as an established fact unless proven in court.
The case has also previously involved political controversy, with different political figures making claims and counterclaims about the investigation. The DCI has defended its work and accused some actors of spreading unsubstantiated claims about the arrest and release of suspects.
For the family of Dr Mutiso, the continuing investigation remains a search for answers about why she was killed and who was responsible.
Dr Mutiso was a respected psychiatrist and mental health researcher. She had served as a director of the African Institute of Mental and Brain Health and was known for her work in mental health. Her death therefore shocked colleagues, relatives and members of the wider professional community.
The manner of her death, however, has made the case particularly disturbing. She was reportedly travelling to work when her vehicle was intercepted and she was shot in broad daylight in Nairobi.
The investigation now enters another important phase with the court allowing detectives additional time to hold the two suspects.
The four-day extension does not mean that the suspects have been found guilty. It simply gives investigators more time under the authority of the court to pursue their inquiries.
The next stage will be closely watched because detectives will be expected to demonstrate what they have achieved during the additional period and whether they have gathered enough evidence for the matter to proceed.
For the prosecution, the ultimate challenge will be to transform the growing body of investigative material into admissible evidence capable of meeting the legal threshold required in a murder trial.
For the defence, the suspects retain their constitutional rights, including the right to challenge their detention and the allegations against them.
The case therefore remains a delicate balance between allowing investigators enough time to pursue a complex murder investigation and protecting the rights of those who have been arrested.
As detectives continue their work, the central questions remain the same: who ordered the killing of Dr Victoria Mutiso, who financed it, who executed it and what ultimately motivated the attack?
The latest court order gives the DCI four more days to seek answers to those questions. With several suspects already in custody, others having been arrested outside the country and investigators still pursuing additional leads, the murder investigation is likely to remain one of the most closely watched criminal cases in Kenya.
What happens during the additional four days could provide another important piece of the puzzle as authorities attempt to establish the full truth behind the killing of Dr Victoria Mutiso.
