NAIROBI, Kenya — Fresh details have emerged in the investigation into the killing of clinical psychologist and mental health researcher Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso, with detectives reportedly pursuing leads involving two police officers and an alleged payment of up to KSh1.5 million for the murder.
The latest developments, reported as investigators deepen their probe, point to an alleged plot in which the two officers were expected to share the payment after carrying out the assignment. Investigators also believe some of those involved may have worn police uniforms during the operation.
The officers remain at large as detectives intensify efforts to establish the full chain of people who allegedly planned, financed and executed the killing.
Dr Mutiso was shot dead on July 29, 2026, in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area after the vehicle in which she was travelling was reportedly intercepted during her morning journey. Initial investigations indicated that a vehicle blocked the taxi before gunmen opened fire.
A significant lead has since emerged after detectives traced a second Toyota Prado allegedly linked to the operation to Kisii County.
Investigators believe the vehicle is the same Prado that had reportedly been stolen from a disputed parcel of land that has emerged as a possible source of the longstanding dispute investigators are examining as a potential motive for the killing.
The discovery has given detectives another trail to follow as they reconstruct the movements of the vehicles and suspects before and after the shooting.
According to the latest reports, detectives and senior police officers also visited Nderi and Thogoto police bases on Saturday as they pursued the two officers believed to be linked to the alleged operation.
The investigation is increasingly relying on a combination of forensic evidence, CCTV footage, vehicle-tracking information and intelligence gathered from different security agencies.
The latest developments follow revelations by Directorate of Criminal Investigations Director Mohamed Amin that investigators had identified a police inspector attached to Nderi Police Post, under Kikuyu Police Station, as an alleged link between individuals suspected of financing the killing and the operational team.
Amin also said ballistic analysis had linked a Jericho pistol recovered at Nderi Police Post to the weapon used in Dr Mutiso’s killing.
The DCI chief said investigators believed the murder was connected to a longstanding civil dispute involving land.
“Investigations have established that the elimination of Dr Mutiso was driven by a longstanding land civil dispute,” Amin said.
The finding marks a significant shift from the early stages of the investigation, when detectives were still working to establish whether the killing was a targeted attack and determine who may have ordered it.
When the investigation began, the DCI said homicide detectives and forensic specialists had secured the scene, recovered exhibits and interviewed witnesses while pursuing several lines of inquiry. The agency also urged the public to avoid speculation and the circulation of unverified information.
Investigators are now examining the roles played by two Toyota Prado vehicles allegedly used during the attack.
According to the emerging account, one Prado was used to obstruct the taxi carrying Dr Mutiso, while the second was allegedly used to transport members of the suspected hit team.
The vehicles, together with CCTV footage and forensic evidence, could help detectives establish the sequence of events and identify the individuals involved.
The investigation is also expected to establish the alleged chain of command—from those who may have commissioned the killing to those who allegedly facilitated and carried out the attack.
Dr Mutiso, a prominent clinical psychologist and mental health researcher, was travelling in an Uber when she was attacked in the Upper Hill area.
Early accounts of the shooting indicated that a four-wheel-drive vehicle blocked the taxi before gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire. She was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The killing shocked Kenya’s mental-health and research communities, with the DCI immediately launching a homicide investigation.
Detectives subsequently examined the vehicle in which she had been travelling and collected ballistic and other forensic exhibits as they sought to reconstruct the attack.
A postmortem later established that Dr Mutiso sustained three gunshot wounds, according to investigators.
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The emergence of alleged links to serving police officers adds another sensitive dimension to the investigation, particularly as detectives seek to establish whether the officers acted independently or as part of a wider network.
The allegations have not been tested in court, and the officers reportedly being sought remain suspects rather than convicted perpetrators.
For investigators, the priority is now to locate the remaining suspects, establish the source and movement of the alleged payment, determine the precise role of each suspect and establish who ultimately ordered the killing.
The investigation could also provide answers to one of the central questions surrounding Dr Mutiso’s death: whether the longstanding land dispute was indeed the motive behind the alleged assassination and, if so, who stood to benefit from her elimination.
