Mystery Deepens as Two Police Officers Linked to Dr Victoria Mutiso Murder Remain Missing

The whereabouts of two police officers accused of being part of the team involved in the daylight killing of mental health researcher Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso remain unknown, three days after detectives publicly linked them to the murder.

Inspector Kenneth Kipkemboi Sang and Constable Collins Kiplangat Bett are being sought by investigators over their alleged roles in the July 29 shooting that claimed the life of the renowned researcher in the Mawensi area of Upper Hill, Nairobi.

Their disappearance has added a new layer to a case that has already raised questions about the involvement of serving police officers in an alleged contract killing.

According to investigators, Kipkemboi, who was attached to Nderi Police Post in Kikuyu, allegedly acted as a link between individuals financing the operation and members of the team that carried out the killing.

Detectives also allege that he provided the firearm used in the murder—a Mini Jericho pistol loaded with 12 rounds of ammunition.

Constable Kiplangat, who is based at Thogoto Police Station, has also been placed at the scene by investigators. His precise role in the operation has, however, not been publicly established.

The search for the two officers has meanwhile been accompanied by explosive allegations from former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, who claims they were arrested but later released following intervention by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.

Speaking during a church event in Kiambaa, Kiambu County, Gachagua alleged that Kipkemboi was arrested in the Thogoto area last Thursday, while Kiplangat was apprehended while travelling towards Mombasa in the Mazeras area.

He further claimed that the two were subsequently released after Murkomen contacted Directorate of Criminal Investigations Director Mohamed Amin.

Gachagua questioned why officers whom investigators allegedly believed were connected to the killing would be released.

“We are asking Mr Amin, these officers are in Kenya, they are killers, they have killed Dr Mutiso, and you have confirmed they participated in the murder, why then are you releasing them after Murkomen called you?” Gachagua said.

The claims have not been independently verified, while efforts to obtain responses from Amin and police spokesman Muchiri Nyaga regarding the alleged arrests and the ongoing search were unsuccessful.

Third officer already in custody

As detectives search for Kipkemboi and Kiplangat, another police officer accused of directly participating in the shooting is already in custody.

Constable Elijah Kibelion Kimoi of Karinde Police Post was arrested on Friday, the same day DCI officials disclosed that serving police officers were allegedly involved in the murder alongside civilians.

Investigators allege that Kibelion was the officer who fired the shots that killed Dr Mutiso as she travelled to work at about 9:23am.

DCI boss Mohamed Amin described the alleged involvement of police officers as a serious breach of public trust.

“The involvement of these rogue officers represents a grave betrayal of the uniform and public trust,” Amin said, adding that investigators would pursue those involved.

Kibelion is expected to face charges as investigators continue piecing together the alleged chain of events surrounding the killing.

What detectives say happened

Investigators believe Dr Mutiso's murder was connected to a long-running property dispute involving her husband and his former wife.

On the morning of July 29, Mutiso was travelling in an Uber taxi when the vehicle encountered a black Toyota Prado that had partially obstructed the road in the Mawensi area.

The taxi driver, Victor Chunguli, told investigators that he slowed down before a person seated near the left rear window of the Prado opened fire.

Dr Mutiso was hit by the bullets and was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The killing has since been treated by investigators as a targeted attack rather than a random shooting.

Two civilians—Daniel Mwangi Njoroge and Kelvin Ngugi Kinuthia—are also in custody over their alleged involvement.

Investigators say Mwangi was the driver of the Toyota Prado, registration KDH 600A, which was allegedly used to block the taxi.

He is accused of coordinating logistics, facilitating movement of members of the alleged execution team and helping organise the operation.

Njoroge, according to detectives, allegedly acted as the rider who transported the suspected shooter to the scene.

Questions over police command

The alleged involvement of serving officers has now shifted attention beyond the murder investigation to the wider question of accountability within the National Police Service.

Human rights activist Peter Kiama, Executive Director of Haki Yetu Organisation, has criticised Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen over what he described as failures in police reforms and accountability.

Kiama argued that the alleged involvement of serving officers in a targeted killing reflects deeper problems within the police command structure.

He linked the concerns to longstanding allegations of police brutality and extrajudicial killings, arguing that accountability failures have allowed indiscipline to persist.

He also criticised President William Ruto's administration, accusing it of failing to deliver fully on promises to reform the police service and address abductions, extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.

The allegations have yet to be tested in court, and the officers being sought remain entitled to due process and the presumption of innocence.

The unanswered question

For investigators, the immediate priority is locating Kipkemboi and Kiplangat and establishing exactly what happened between the alleged planning of the operation and the fatal shooting.

For the public, however, another question is emerging: how could serving police officers allegedly become part of a team accused of carrying out a targeted killing—and, if they were arrested as claimed, how did they end up back on the run?

Those questions are likely to remain at the centre of the Mutiso murder investigation as detectives pursue the missing officers and prepare the case against those already in custody.