Three Suspects in Dr. Victoria Mutiso Murder Case Remanded for 30 Days

NAIROBI, Kenya — Three suspects arrested in Uganda in connection with the murder of Dr. Victoria Mutiso will remain in police custody for 30 days as investigators continue probing the high-profile case.

Police Constable Collins Bett Kiplangat and his civilian co-suspect, Pius Muiru Mbugua, were transferred to Kenya on Tuesday to face investigations over Mutiso’s death.

The third suspect, Samuel Karanja Gathoni, opposed an application by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) seeking permission to detain all three suspects for 30 days.

DCI seeks more time for investigations

The three appeared before the Milimani Law Courts on Wednesday, where the DCI requested custodial orders to allow investigators more time to complete their inquiries.

Bett and Mbugua did not address the court during the proceedings.

The prosecution argued that the suspects presented a flight risk and that their safety could not be guaranteed because of the intense public interest surrounding the case.

Gathoni, however, challenged the application through his lawyer, Sgi Oriaro, who argued that his client's 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.

Court grants 30-day custodial order

In her ruling, Senior Principal Magistrate Teresia Nyangena granted the DCI's application and ordered that the three suspects remain in custody for 30 days.

The suspects will be held at Ruaraka, Kileleshwa and Kilimani police stations as investigations continue.

Magistrate Nyangena cited a deportation order from the Chief Magistrate's Court in South Buganda, Buganda Road, Uganda, confirming that the three suspects had been deported from Uganda to Kenya.

“I therefore allow the application as prayed and grant the 30 days custodial order,” Nyangena ruled.

The matter will return to court for mention on October 1, 2026.

Seven suspects now in custody

The three suspects are among seven people currently in custody as Kenyan authorities investigate the murder of Dr. Victoria Mutiso.

Mutiso was fatally shot in Nairobi on July 29, 2026, in a case that has attracted significant public attention.

Investigators are expected to use the additional 30-day period to pursue leads, establish the circumstances surrounding the killing and determine the respective roles, if any, of those in custody.

The suspects remain innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of law.