Mental health researcher Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso/HANDOUT
Family, relatives and friends gathered at CITAM Church in
Nairobi to pay their final respects to psychiatrist and mental health
researcher Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso, who was shot dead in Nairobi last week.
An atmosphere of grief and reflection filled the church as
mourners remembered Mutiso as a warm, cheerful and devoted family woman whose
life was defined by her commitment to those around her.
Her two children, Dr Christine Musyimi and David Ndetei Junior,
mourned their mother as a loving parent and close confidant who remained a
source of guidance and strength to the family.
Her husband, renowned psychiatrist Prof David Ndetei, spoke
of the profound pain caused by her death, saying the family had been hurt
beyond human comprehension.
Despite the anguish, Prof Ndetei said he had forgiven those
responsible for the killing, choosing forgiveness in the face of the tragedy
that had befallen his family.
Mutiso was shot dead on the morning of Wednesday, July 29,
while commuting by taxi along Raila Odinga Way in Nairobi.
Her killing has since triggered a major investigation by
homicide detectives, who are pursuing several leads, including a possible
connection to a long-running matrimonial property dispute involving her family.
Police suspect the killing could be linked to the
decades-long dispute involving property worth billions of shillings.
Investigators are examining the relationships and events
surrounding the dispute as they seek to establish the motive for the shooting.
A Nairobi court has since ordered the detention of a mother
and her son for 21 days as detectives continue investigating the murder.
They were ordered to remain in custody as the Directorate of
Criminal Investigations (DCI) pursues further evidence before deciding on the
next course of action.
The suspects have not yet taken a plea, with investigators
telling the court they required additional time to complete their inquiries.
The investigation has also widened to examine possible links
between Mutiso’s killing and the September 2025 assassination of lawyer Mathew
Kyalo Mbobu.
Mbobu had previously represented a party involved in the
protracted property dispute that detectives are examining as a possible motive
for Mutiso’s killing.
Investigators are now working to establish whether the two
killings are connected and, if so, the circumstances surrounding any possible
link.
The 21-day detention period is expected to give detectives
time to conduct forensic examinations, record statements, analyse evidence and
pursue other leads in an effort to establish what happened before, during and
after Dr Mutiso was shot.
She will be laid to rest on Friday at her family home in
Mbooni, Makueni county, where relatives, friends and colleagues are expected to
gather to give her a final farewell.