A Nairobi court has granted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) four additional days to detain two suspects as detectives race to complete investigations into the murder of Dr. Victoria Mutiso.
The DCI had sought seven more days to hold Daniel Mwangi and Kevin Kinuthia, citing new information obtained from the suspects and others already in custody, as well as pending forensic and financial reports and the identification of additional witnesses.
The court, however, granted investigators four days to complete the outstanding inquiries.
In a supporting affidavit, homicide investigator Corporal Romana Odour told the court that the two suspects were arrested on August 7, 2026, and presented in court on August 10, when investigators obtained an initial 30-day detention order.
According to the investigator, the inquiry remains incomplete because the suspects provided new information that requires further investigation.
The DCI is also awaiting cybercrime and forensic reports from the National Forensic Laboratory. Detectives say the reports will help them interrogate the suspects further over information recovered from mobile phones seized during the arrests.
Investigators are also awaiting a financial report from the Financial Reporting Centre to assist in examining the financial aspects of the case.
The court was further told that detectives had identified additional witnesses following the interrogation of suspects. Some of the witnesses are based outside Nairobi and are yet to record their statements.
The investigation has also widened, with the DCI saying some alleged accomplices remain at large while others are already in custody.
Several suspects linked to the case have been placed in separate proceedings.
Elijah Kibelion Kimoi has already been charged with murder in Milimani HCCRCE No. 005 of 2026 and is scheduled to take plea on September 23.
The investigators had argued that releasing Mwangi and Kinuthia before the conclusion of the probe could jeopardise the investigation, citing the possibility that they could abscond.
The DCI also raised concerns over the suspects’ safety, saying the case had generated significant public interest and outrage.
According to the affidavit, the identities of the suspects are now known to members of the public and the deceased’s family, raising fears that they could face retaliation or mob justice if released.
The investigators argued that continued detention was necessary to allow them to pursue additional suspects, record statements from newly identified witnesses, analyse forensic reports and follow up on financial and other investigative leads.
The State had asked the court to treat the circumstances as compelling reasons for continued detention under Article 49(1)(f) and (g) of the Constitution and Section 36A of the Criminal Procedure Code.
