A Nairobi court has ordered a mother and her son linked to the murder of clinical psychologist Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso to remain in custody for 21 days, citing a real risk of witness interference if they are released.
Rose Mbithe Mulwa and her son, Chris Mulwa, will be held separately while investigations continue. The court directed that Rose be remanded at Kileleshwa Police Station and Chris at Kilimani Police Station pending the completion of investigations.
In its ruling, the court found that the alleged threats made against Dr Mutiso before her death, together with the circumstances surrounding the killing, provided sufficient factual grounds to justify the prosecution’s application for continued detention.
The magistrate ruled that the prosecution had demonstrated a legitimate need to keep the suspects in custody to prevent interference with witnesses and safeguard ongoing investigations.
Although prosecutors had sought to detain the pair for 30 days after they were arraigned at the Milimani Law Courts, the court granted investigators an additional 21 days to conclude key aspects of the probe.
Rose and Chris were arrested last Thursday in Karen during what detectives described as an intelligence-led operation.
According to an affidavit sworn by Corporal Romana Odour, investigators revealed that Dr Mutiso had reported two separate incidents in which men riding a motorcycle allegedly followed and threatened her before she was eventually killed.
The affidavit states that on July 7, 2026, Dr Mutiso was driving along Ngong Road near Junction Mall when two men on a motorcycle allegedly pointed a firearm at her. She escaped unharmed and reported the incident at Kilimani Police Station, later informing investigators and her husband that she had identified the pillion passenger as Chris Mulwa.
The prosecution further told the court that Rose Mbithe Mulwa is the former wife of Dr Mutiso’s husband, Prof David Musyimi Ndetei. The two divorced in 2001 after having four children together, including Chris Mulwa.
Detectives have also expanded the investigation to determine whether Dr Mutiso’s murder is connected to the killing of lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu, who was shot dead along Magadi Road in September 2025.
Mbobu had represented Prof Ndetei in a long-running dispute over matrimonial property worth billions of shillings involving his former wife.
Investigators say they are examining similarities between the two killings, noting that both victims were allegedly trailed before being shot. Dr Mutiso was attacked while travelling in a taxi in Nairobi’s Upper Hill on her way to work, nearly 11 months after Mbobu’s murder.
Her killing occurred just 24 days after she formally reported threats against her life at Kilimani Police Station.
An autopsy conducted by Chief Government Pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor established that Dr Mutiso sustained three gunshot wounds—two to the head and one to the upper body. Severe bleeding and extensive chest and head injuries were identified as the cause of death.
