Detectives search for Toyota Prado linked to Dr. Victoria Mutiso’s murder
Investigators probing the murder of clinical psychologist and researcher Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso have linked a Toyota Prado believed to have been used in the attack to a vehicle that disappeared during the demolition of her Mlolongo home earlier this year.
Detectives now believe the missing vehicle could provide a crucial breakthrough in investigations into the fatal shooting that claimed Dr Mutiso’s life in Nairobi’s Upper Hill.
According to investigators, a Toyota Prado intercepted the taxi carrying Dr Mutiso moments before gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire, shooting her three times in what police believe was a well-coordinated attack.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has traced the Prado to a vehicle reported missing after police enforced a court-ordered eviction at Dr Mutiso’s approximately 20-acre property in Mlolongo, Machakos County, on February 12.
The demolition allegedly left property worth millions of shillings destroyed, while several vehicles parked within the compound disappeared. Detectives now suspect one of the missing vehicles is the same Toyota Prado used to intercept Dr Mutiso shortly before she was killed.
Investigators have also turned their attention to the eviction process.
Sources close to the investigation indicate that Rose Mbithe Mulwa, who is among the suspects in the murder case, presented the eviction order to officers at Mlolongo Police Station. Detectives are now examining the court documents to establish whether the order was genuine or fraudulently obtained.
Nearly four months after the demolition, Dr Mutiso lodged a complaint at Mlolongo Police Station alleging trespass, malicious damage to property and theft, and called for a criminal investigation. Detectives are now examining whether that complaint could hold vital clues to the events that culminated in her killing.
Police believe it was after pursuing the case that Dr Mutiso began receiving threats.
On July 7, she reported to Kilimani Police Station that men riding a motorcycle had allegedly followed and threatened her while she was driving home.
Three weeks later, she was shot dead while travelling in a taxi to work in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area.
Investigators say documents containing details of the taxi involved in the shooting, including its registration number and vehicle type, were recovered during a search at Rose Mbithe Mulwa’s residence in Karen. Detectives are investigating whether the house may have been used to plan the attack.
The Mlolongo property has been at the centre of a long-running ownership dispute dating back to 2002 involving Dr Mutiso’s husband, Prof. David Musyimi Ndetei, and his former wife, Rose Mbithe Mulwa.
Mulwa, who contested the Machakos gubernatorial seat in the 2022 General Election, and her son Chris Mulwa remain in custody as investigations continue.
A court is expected to rule on Monday on the prosecution’s application seeking to detain the two suspects for an additional 30 days as detectives complete investigations.
