Nairobi — Rose Mbithe Mulwa and her two children, Angela Mulwa and Chris Mulwa, will on September 29 appear before the High Court in Nairobi to formally take plea in the murder case arising from the killing of psychiatrist Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso.
Justice Alexander Muteti directed that the three be produced in court at noon after the court was informed that they had not participated in Wednesday's proceedings through a virtual link.
A prison officer told the court that Mbithe and Angela had declined to join the proceedings virtually from Lang'ata Women's Prison, where they are being held. The judge subsequently directed that they be brought to court physically for plea-taking.
The court was also informed that the files relating to the accused persons would be consolidated to enable all those facing charges arising from Dr Mutiso's death to take plea together.
Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn
The development clears the way for the murder proceedings to formally commence after the suspects were previously presented before the High Court but did not enter pleas.
Mbithe, Angela and Chris were initially scheduled to take plea after the Director of Public Prosecutions approved murder charges following preliminary investigations by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.
However, the plea was delayed after Justice Kanyi Kimondo directed that the accused persons undergo mental assessments to establish whether they were fit to plead to the charges.
A fourth suspect, Police Constable Elijah Kibelion Kimoi, was subsequently included in the murder case. The four were accused of jointly killing Dr Mutiso on July 29, 2026, at about 9.30am along Mawensi Road in Kilimani, Nairobi County, together with other persons who have not been brought before the court.
The prosecution alleges that the accused persons face a charge of murder contrary to Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code.
Dr Mutiso, a psychiatrist and former director of the African Institute of Mental and Brain Health, was fatally shot on July 29 while travelling in a taxi in Nairobi. Before her death, she had reportedly reported an earlier incident in which two armed men on a motorcycle allegedly confronted her near Junction Mall along Ngong Road.
Investigators have also been looking into a long-running property dispute involving Dr Mutiso's family and Mbithe, who was previously married to Dr Mutiso's husband, Professor David Musyimi Ndetei.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
The alleged dispute has featured in the prosecution's account of the circumstances surrounding the investigation, although the murder allegations against the accused remain to be proved in court.
The three family members, together with Kimoi, are expected to answer to the charges when they appear before Justice Muteti on September 29.
