A police officer accused of pulling the trigger in the gangland-style killing of neuroscientist Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso was Monday arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts in Nairobi alongside a driver and a motorcycle rider.
The arraignment of Police Constable Elijah Kibellion Kimoi, Daniel Mwangi Njoroge and Kevin Ngugi Kinuthia brings to seven the number of suspects arrested and detained in connection with the July 29, 2026 murder of Dr Mutiso, a prominent neuroscientist and former director of the African Institute of Mental and Brain Health.
The court heard that a senior police officer allegedly linked to the killing is still at large, with detectives saying they are pursuing him.
Suspects Kevin Ngugi Kinuthia (left) Daniel Mwangi Njoroge and Elijah Kimoi (right) peruse police applications for their detention in the murder of Dr Victoria Mutiso at the Milimani Law Courts on August 10, 2026.
Photo credit: Richard Munguti | Nation Media Group
Corporal Romana Oduor, a detective from the Serious Offences Unit, told the court that preliminary investigations had established that PC Kimoi was the officer who fired the fatal shot.
She said investigators had also established that Njoroge was driving a black Toyota Prado, registration KDH 600A, which allegedly blocked the Toyota vehicle in which Dr Mutiso was travelling after ordering an Uber ride.
Kinuthia, the third suspect, allegedly dropped PC Kimoi at the scene and later picked him up after the shooting. The court further heard that Kinuthia was riding a motorcycle, registration KMGZ 980D.
One of the two vehicles and the motorcycle that were used in the murder of Dr Victoria Mutiso on August 07, 2026 at the DCI headquarters.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
The prosecution asked the court to detain the three suspects for 30 days at Ruaraka, Pangani and Gigiri police stations respectively to allow detectives to complete their investigations.
Ms Oduor said the suspects pose a threat to more than 50 witnesses whose safety cannot be guaranteed if the suspects are released on bond.
The detective said police recovered a spent cartridge and a bullet head from the scene, as well as a bullet retrieved from Dr Mutiso’s body during the post-mortem examination.
Police also recovered a Mini Jericho pistol, serial number 47302127.
The Jericho Pistol used in the murder of Dr Victoria Mutiso on August 07, 2026 at the DCI headquarters.
Photo credit: Francis Nderitu | Nation Media Group
She told the court that forensic analysis of the bullet recovered from the deceased established that it had been fired from the Mini Jericho pistol, which had allegedly been issued to a senior police officer who is now on the run.
The court also heard that detectives are investigating a possible link between the killing and a long-running legal dispute over 21 acres of prime land in Mlolongo involving Ms Rose Mbithe Mulwa, her former husband and eminent psychiatrist Prof David Musyimi Ndetei.
Ms Oduor said investigators were pursuing the land dispute angle to establish whether it could have provided a motive for Dr Mutiso’s killing.
She described the investigations as complex and requiring extensive inquiries before detectives could complete their work.
An undated photo of slain clinical psychologist and mental health researcher Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso.
Photo credit: Pool
The court heard that Dr Mutiso had previously reported that she feared for her life. According to the prosecution, Dr Mutiso reported at Kilimani Police Station that a person riding a motorcycle had attempted to shoot her on July 7 and July 27, 2026.
The killing has attracted significant public interest, with the prosecution telling the court that the circumstances surrounding the death has caused widespread anxiety.
The three suspects, who were not represented by lawyers, did not oppose the application for their continued detention.
In his ruling, Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Paul Mutai said the matter was of great public interest and had generated considerable anxiety, noting that police were yet to complete their investigations and apprehend other suspects believed to be linked to the killing.
The magistrate allowed the police to detain the three suspects, directing that Kimoi, Njoroge and Kinuthia be held at Ruaraka, Pangani and Gigiri police stations respectively.
Rose Mulwa and her son Chris Mulwa at the Milimani Law Courts on August 3, 2026. They are persons of interest in the fatal shooting of Dr Victoria Mutiso.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
The magistrate further directed that the case be mentioned on September 30, 2026, to assess the progress of the investigations.
However, police were given liberty to return the suspects to court earlier if they complete their investigations before the mention date.
Ms Mulwa and her son, Chris Mulwa, were the first suspects to be arraigned in connection with Dr Mutiso’s killing.
Ms Mulwa, also known as Rose Mbithe Ndetei, and Mr Mulwa were detained for 21 days and are expected back in court on August 18, 2026, for further directions.
