Detectives are hunting for the killers of Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso, Director of Research at the Africa Institute of Mental and Brain Health (AFRIMEB), who was shot dead in an apparent targeted attack during her morning commute in Nairobi’s Upperhill area.
The clinical psychologist was killed at around 9am while travelling in an Uber near the junction of Mawenzi Road, in what the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) is treating as a coordinated ambush. Reports differ on the precise circumstances of the shooting — one account puts the toll at four gunshot wounds, while another states that she was shot twice in the head at close range — but both agree the attack was swift and deliberate.
Witness accounts describe a Toyota Prado parked at the roadside junction shortly before the Uber carrying Dr Mutiso pulled up behind it. One witness who was nearby recalled the moment: “There was a Prado that parked on the pavement of the road. Then the Uber came and parked behind the Prado. I am not sure whether they were communicating.”
Accounts of who fired the fatal shots also diverge. One version holds that two boda boda motorcycle operators approached and opened fire before fleeing the scene; another describes a single motorcycle carrying three men, with one assailant shooting Dr Mutiso before the group sped off. Both accounts agree that the Toyota Prado also left the scene immediately after the shooting.
The same witness described the chaos that followed: “Before I reached my destination, I heard four gunshots. Coming back to check what had happened, the Uber was now moving down the road speedily and the Prado was behind it. The Uber driver was shouting.”
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The Uber driver drove Dr Mutiso to Kenyatta National Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Homicide detectives and forensic officers later cordoned off the vehicle at the hospital, and it has since been detained as evidence after ballistics experts recovered two spent cartridges from inside the car.
Investigators are reviewing CCTV footage and examining mobile phones belonging to both Dr Mutiso and the driver to reconstruct the movements and communications preceding the attack. The Uber driver remains in police custody and is assisting with the investigation.
A central line of inquiry concerns reports that Dr Mutiso had raised concerns about her safety before her death. Detectives say she had recorded a statement alleging that she was trailed by a gunman the previous week. Separately, it has been reported that she had lodged a complaint of direct threats at Kilimani Police Station, which was then referred to Satellite Police Station in Dagoretti Division for investigation. It is not yet clear what action, if any, was taken on that earlier complaint. Detectives are now working to establish whether it is connected to her killing.
Investigators have also visited Dr Mutiso’s home, where accounts place her residence variously at Gitanga Heights and Riara, and have interviewed her husband, colleagues and other relatives. The probe has reportedly widened to examine a possible marital dimension to the case, alongside the threat allegations.
DCI Director Mohamed Amin said investigations are at an advanced stage as detectives pursue the assailants, who remain at large. Dr Mutiso’s body has been moved to the Kenyatta National Hospital mortuary, where it awaits a post-mortem examination.
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