KAMPALA, Uganda — Detectives have arrested three more suspects in connection with the killing of Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso, including a serving police constable who was apprehended in Kampala, in what the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has described as a major breakthrough in the investigation.
The arrests followed a coordinated operation conducted in Nairobi and Kampala by a specialised team drawn from the DCI’s Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau, Operations Directorate and Homicide Bureau.
According to the DCI, forensic leads enabled investigators to trace two suspects to Kyanja Heights flats in Kampala’s Nakawa suburb, where they were arrested with the assistance of the Uganda Police Force.
The two suspects were identified as Police Constable Bett Kiplangat Collins, service number 118491, attached to Thogoto Police Station, and Pius Muiru Mbugua, a civilian.
The DCI said the pair had allegedly entered Uganda illegally after the killing. They are being held at Jinja Road Police Station pending their escorted return to Kenya.
A third suspect, Samuel Karanja Gathoni, also known as “Lawyer”, was arrested separately in Nairobi. Detectives intercepted him in the Langata Multi-Media area as he travelled towards Ongata Rongai.
Police officer allegedly linked to surveillance operation
The DCI said investigations had established that PC Bett was allegedly involved in surveillance operations and acted as a co-driver to Daniel Mwangi Njoroge, whom detectives have identified as a key organiser of the alleged operation.
Njoroge was reportedly driving a Land Cruiser Prado, registration number KDH 600A, which investigators allege was used to intercept the Uber vehicle carrying Dr Mutiso on the morning of July 29, 2026.
The incident occurred in Upper Hill, Nairobi, shortly before the doctor was fatally shot.
The DCI has previously linked the Prado to the events surrounding the killing and has been pursuing several individuals believed to have played different roles in the alleged operation.
Investigators have not, however, established guilt against the suspects arrested in the latest operation. They are expected to be processed and presented before a court, where the prosecution will be required to substantiate the allegations against them.
Suspect allegedly acted as paymaster
The DCI further alleges that Mbugua played a financial and logistical role in the operation.
According to detectives, he acted as a link between the alleged execution team and the person who allegedly contracted them, while also serving as a paymaster responsible for moving money to facilitate logistics and the movement of the suspected hit squad.
The agency did not disclose the identity of the person it alleges contracted the group.
The latest arrests therefore add another layer to the investigation, which is seeking to establish not only who allegedly carried out the shooting but also who organised, financed and facilitated the operation.
Uganda police assist in arrests
The arrests in Kampala were carried out with the assistance of the Uganda Police Force, according to the DCI.
The National Police Service acknowledged the cooperation, saying collaboration between the two countries’ security agencies enabled investigators to locate, arrest and secure the suspects.
The two suspects arrested in Kampala remain in Ugandan custody as arrangements are made for their escorted return to Kenya.
Once back in the country, the DCI said they will be processed and arraigned in accordance with the law.
The cross-border operation underscores the extent to which investigators have expanded the search for suspects beyond Kenya following the killing.
DCI rejects claims over handling of case
The latest development also came with a strongly worded response from the DCI to claims made by political actors concerning the investigation.
The agency rejected allegations that suspects had been secretly arrested and subsequently released or that security officials had facilitated the suspects’ escape.
The DCI described the claims as false and accused those making them of attempting to undermine public confidence in the investigation and portray detectives as accomplices rather than investigators pursuing the case.
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The agency maintained that the latest arrests demonstrated continued progress in tracing individuals suspected of involvement in Dr Mutiso’s killing.
Dr Mutiso killed in Upper Hill
Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso was fatally shot on July 29, 2026, while travelling in an Uber in Upper Hill, Nairobi.
The killing triggered a major investigation by the DCI, with detectives examining the movements of the victim, the vehicles allegedly involved and the individuals suspected of participating in the operation.
Investigators have since arrested several people and obtained court orders allowing them additional time to hold some suspects while investigations continue.
The latest arrests are expected to help detectives piece together the alleged chain of events leading to the shooting, including the identities of those who allegedly planned, financed, facilitated and executed the operation.
The DCI has yet to disclose the full circumstances surrounding the alleged motive for the killing or reveal the identity of the person it believes may have commissioned the operation.
For now, the three newly arrested suspects remain in custody as investigators prepare to return those held in Uganda to Kenya and present them before court.
The case remains under investigation, and the suspects are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of law.
