Court gavel./FILESuspects linked to the killing of clinical psychologist Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso have been detained for 30 days to allow detectives to complete investigations into her murder.
The three appeared before Principal Magistrate Paul Mutai at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi on Monday, where the court granted investigators more time to hold them as the probe continues.
The respondents will remain in custody for 30 days pending investigations and will be detained as follows: Kevin Ngugi - Gigiri Police Station; Daniel Mwangi - Pangani Police Station and Elijah Kibelion - Ruaraka Police Station.
In the event the investigation is completed before the period, the suspects will be presented before the court for further directions.
The case will be mentioned on September 10 for further direction.
Police had sought orders to detain the three to enable detectives to complete investigations and pursue other people believed to be linked to the killing.
Dr Mutiso was shot dead on July 29, 2026, in Nairobi's Upper Hill area while travelling to work in an Uber vehicle.
Investigators say the killing involved several people and was planned, with detectives pursuing leads on the financing, surveillance, logistics and execution of the attack.
Police have arrested a police officer, a boda boda rider and another person described as a key linkman in connection with the murder.
Two other police officers wanted in connection with the killing were still the subject of a manhunt, with detectives believing they could be hiding in Nakuru. Police had urged the two officers to surrender for questioning.
One of their colleagues from Karinde Police Station was arrested and is alleged by investigators to have been the person who shot Dr Mutiso.
Police said the two officers who are being sought had obtained permission from their workplaces to travel to their rural homes on medical grounds two days after the murder. They reportedly claimed their children were sick before switching off their mobile phones and going underground.
Four other people, including a mother and her two children and a land broker, had also been taken into custody as detectives widened the investigation.
Investigators have recovered a motorcycle, two four-wheel-drive vehicles and a police firearm believed to have been used in the murder.
Detectives are also seeking firearm registers from Dagoretti, Nderi, Karinde and Thogoto police stations as they investigate the movement and chain of custody of the firearm.
The weapon is in the possession of investigators and is believed to have been issued to a police officer.
Fresh details from the investigation indicate that the suspects were allegedly promised Sh1.5 million to execute the killing, with Sh100,000 allegedly paid as a down payment.
Investigators believe the remaining amount was to be shared among three people after completion of the assignment.
Police further allege that the balance was to be raised from the sale of a Range Rover that has since been seized.
The vehicle was among four cars allegedly stolen from Dr Mutiso's home in Mlolongo in February 2026 during a raid in which police say forged documents were used.
Investigators have linked the murder to a 20-acre piece of land in Mlolongo, with the circumstances surrounding the property still under investigation.
Another Toyota Prado believed to have been used to block the vehicle carrying Dr Mutiso was also recovered in Kisii County.
According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Dr Mutiso had requested an Uber ride from her residence at Tanga Heights Apartments on Bamboo Lane off Riara Road on the morning of July 29.
She was travelling to the Africa Institute of Mental and Brain Health at Mawensi Garden off Matumbato Road in Upper Hill.
Her driver told detectives that at about 9.23am, the vehicle encountered a black Toyota Prado that had partially blocked the road in the Mawensi area.
As the driver slowed down, gunshots were fired from the rear left side of the vehicle, where Dr Mutiso was seated.
The driver told investigators that he saw a man armed with a pistol firing at Dr Mutiso before he accelerated past the obstruction and drove to Kenyatta National Hospital.
Dr Mutiso was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital.
A post-mortem examination established that she had sustained three gunshot wounds.
Detectives recovered two spent cartridges from the scene, while a bullet head was later retrieved during the post-mortem examination.
The exhibits were submitted to the National Police Service Forensic Laboratory for ballistic and forensic analysis.
The DCI said CCTV footage, vehicle tracking, digital evidence and intelligence gathering have been central to the investigation.
Investigators also identified two Toyota Prado vehicles allegedly used during the operation. According to the DCI, the registered owner confirmed that the vehicles had been hired to a suspect on July 27 and returned on July 30, a day after the killing.
