DCI boss Mohamed Amin. /FILEThe killing of Dr Victoria Mutiso was meticulously planned and executed, DCI boss Mohamed Amin has said, giving the clearest account yet of the events leading to the fatal shooting on July 29.
Amin said investigators have reconstructed the events surrounding the murder through forensic evidence, CCTV footage, intelligence and information gathered from multiple investigative teams.
According to the DCI boss, the final chain of events began on the morning of July 29, when Mutiso requested an Uber ride to her workplace.
The Uber driver picked her up from Tanga Heights on Bamburi Road and was taking her to the Africa Institute of Mental and Brain Health offices at Mawesie Gardens, Tom Mboya Road.
"The journey was, however, cut short when the vehicle reached the Mbagathi area, the driver encountered an obstruction that required him to slow down," Amin said.
It was at that point that gunshots were heard from the rear side of the vehicle, where Mutiso was seated. The driver then saw a man holding a pistol and firing towards the back of the vehicle.
Mutiso was shot three times during the attack.
The injured researcher was rushed to hospital, but she was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
The incident was reported at Kilimani Police Station, prompting officers from the local police command to respond to both the scene and the hospital.
The investigation was initially handled by officers from the local command before the DCI Homicide Investigations Bureau took over the case on the same day.
Amin said the homicide team was supported by forensic experts from the National Police Service Forensic Laboratory as detectives began working to establish exactly what had happened.
Two spent cartridges were recovered from the scene, while another was recovered during the post-mortem examination.
The ballistic evidence was subsequently forwarded to the National Police Service Forensic Laboratory for analysis.
Amin said investigators also immediately embarked on detailed examination of CCTV footage and intelligence-led operations as they sought to establish the identities and movements of those involved.
The investigation, he said, rapidly produced leads that pointed detectives towards key suspects.
Amin said the DCI had responded to what he described as a professionally executed killing with an equally exhaustive investigation involving forensic science, intelligence and collaboration between different teams.
The latest account comes against the backdrop of earlier investigations into events preceding Mutiso's death.
Detectives have been examining a property dispute involving the family and other incidents that occurred before the shooting, including a February eviction and demolition at property associated with Mutiso.
Police have also been investigating a report made by Mutiso on July 7, in which she said she had been followed and threatened by men on a motorcycle.
Following that incident, investigators have said she stopped using her personal vehicle and began travelling by taxi.
The July 29 attack therefore occurred about three weeks after the reported threat.
Investigators have since widened the probe, arresting several suspects as they seek to establish the full chain of events and the roles played by each person involved.
Among those arrested is a police officer, while detectives have also recovered a pistol, a motorcycle and a Toyota Prado believed to have been connected to the investigation.
Amin said the DCI would continue pursuing additional leads as it works to establish the full circumstances surrounding the murder.
He described Mutiso's killing as a grave loss, noting her contribution to mental health work and her service as former director of the African Institute of Mental Health.
