Three suspects arrested in Uganda over the murder of Dr. Victoria Mutiso will remain in custody for 30 days as police continue investigations into the high-profile case.
Police Constable Collins Bett Kiplangat and his civilian counterpart, Pius Muiru Mbugua, were transferred into Kenya on Tuesday to face murder charges.
The third suspect, identified as Samuel Karanja Gathoni, opposed the prosecution’s application for custodial orders, denying claims that he was a flight risk.
Appearing before the Milimani Law Courts on Wednesday, Bett and Mbugua remained silent as the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) sought orders to detain the three suspects for 30 days to facilitate further investigations into Mutiso’s murder.
The prosecution argued that the suspects were a flight risk and that their safety could not be guaranteed due to the high level of public interest surrounding the case.
Gathoni, however, opposed the application, with his lawyer, SGI Oriaro, arguing that his 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, the defence lawyer, stated.
In her ruling, Senior Principal Magistrate Teresia Nyangena directed that the three suspects be held at Ruaraka, Kileleshwa and Kilimani police stations.
"I have relied on the deportation order from the Chief Magistrate, South of Buganda, Buganda Road, which confirms that the three persons before me were deported from Uganda. I therefore allow the application as prayed and grant the 30 days custodial order," Nyangena stated.
The case is scheduled for mention on October 1, 2026.
The three suspects are now among seven people in custody as police investigate the murder of Dr. Victoria Mutiso, who was fatally shot in Nairobi on July 29, 2026.
