Three suspects detained for 30 days over Dr Victoria Mutiso murder

Three suspects arrested in connection with the murder of psychiatrist Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso will remain in custody for 30 days as detectives pursue further leads into the high-profile killing.

The three are Police Constable Collins Bett Kiplangat, Pius Muiru Mbugua alias Headboy, and Samuel Karanja Gathoni alias Wakili.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) secured the custodial orders at the Milimani Law Courts on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, after telling the court that preliminary investigations had established that the suspects allegedly played different roles in the murder.

The prosecution had applied for 30 days to complete investigations, arguing that the suspects were a flight risk, could interfere with witnesses or destroy evidence, and could communicate with other suspects who remain at large.

The DCI also told the court that the investigation was still active, with several leads yet to be pursued, including possible links between the three suspects and other individuals believed to have participated in the killing.

According to investigators, Kiplangat and Mbugua allegedly participated in planning the murder and maintained constant communication with senior police officer Kenneth Sang. Police allege that a firearm associated with Sang was used in the killing.

Gathoni, meanwhile, is alleged to have been driving a black Toyota Prado, registration number KDE 400W, which detectives say was used to trail Dr Mutiso before her Uber vehicle was intercepted.

Investigators allege that another Toyota Prado, registration number KDH 600A, subsequently blocked the vehicle in which Dr Mutiso was travelling before she was fatally shot.

The DCI further told the court that the suspects had monitored Dr Mutiso’s movements before and on the day she was killed.

The three were arrested on August 29 following an intelligence-led operation at Kyanja Heights Flats in the Nakawa suburb of Kampala, Uganda.

They were subsequently presented before a Chief Magistrate in Uganda on August 31 before being deported to Kenya.

After their return, the suspects were escorted from Malaba Police Station to Nairobi on September 1 and detained at Kileleshwa and Kilimani police stations pending their appearance before the Kenyan court.

Senior Principal Magistrate Teresia Nyangena subsequently directed that the three be held at Ruaraka, Kileleshwa and Kilimani police stations.

While PC Bett and Mbugua did not oppose the prosecution’s application in court, Gathoni challenged the request for prolonged detention and denied being a flight risk.

Through his lawyer, Sgi Oriaro, Gathoni argued that his constitutional rights had already been violated.

“His rights as an arrested person, including to be admitted to bail and not be held within the precincts of the Constitution, as we speak, his rights have already been violated,” Oriaro told the court.

The prosecution, however, maintained that the suspects posed a flight risk, pointing to their alleged movement to Uganda after the murder. It further argued that their continued detention was necessary to safeguard the investigation and prevent possible interference with witnesses and evidence.

In granting the application, Nyangena said she had considered the deportation order issued by a Ugandan court confirming that the three suspects had been deported to Kenya.

“I have relied on the deportation order from the Chief Magistrate, South of Buganda, Buganda Road, which confirms that the three persons before me were deported from Uganda. I therefore allow the application as prayed and grant the 30 days custodial order,” the magistrate ruled.

The matter will be mentioned on October 1, 2026, when investigators are expected to report on the progress of the probe.

At the conclusion of the investigations, the DCI is expected to forward the file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for an independent decision on whether the suspects should be charged and whether their cases should be consolidated with those of other suspects.

The latest arrests bring to seven the number of people currently in custody in connection with Dr Mutiso’s murder.

Dr Mutiso, a psychiatrist and former director of the African Institute of Mental and Brain Health, was fatally shot on July 29, 2026, while travelling in a taxi in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area.

The latest suspects join Rose Mbithe, her children Angela Mulwa and Chris Mulwa, and Police Constable Elijah Kibelion Kimoi, who are already in custody.

A court recently ordered Mbithe, Angela and Chris Mulwa, together with Kimoi, to remain in custody for a further 14 days to allow them to undergo mental assessments before taking pleas in the murder case.

The four are expected to take plea when the matter comes up before High Court Judge Alexander Muteti on September 23, 2026.

Investigations into Dr Mutiso’s killing have so far pointed to a property dispute involving her family and Mbithe, who was previously married to Dr Mutiso’s husband, Professor David Musyimi Ndetei.