Investigators have uncovered fresh details surrounding the murder of city psychologist Dr Victoria Mutiso, with key suspects allegedly promised up to Ksh1.5 million to carry out her killing.
The latest findings have also linked two police officers to the alleged execution of the murder. The officers are currently on the run as detectives intensify efforts to locate and arrest them.
According to investigators, the two officers allegedly agreed to split the payment equally after completing the assignment. Forensic evidence has also reportedly indicated that members of the alleged hit squad wore police uniforms during the operation.
The investigation took another turn after detectives traced a second Toyota Prado allegedly used during the operation to Kisii County, hundreds of kilometres from Nairobi, where Dr Mutiso was shot dead.
The vehicle is believed to be the same Prado that was reportedly stolen from a disputed piece of land that detectives have identified as a possible centre of the longstanding feud allegedly linked to the murder.
The discovery of the vehicle in Kisii has given detectives another lead as they reconstruct the movements of the suspects before and after the July 29 shooting in Upper Hill.
On Saturday, detectives and senior police officers reportedly visited Nderi and Thogoto police bases as they pursued leads on the whereabouts of the two officers who remain at large, according to Citizen TV.
The latest developments came a day after DCI Director Mohamed Amin disclosed that investigators had identified a police inspector attached to Nderi Police Post under Kikuyu Police Station as the alleged link between the financiers of the murder and the operational team.
Amin also revealed that ballistic analysis had linked a Jericho pistol recovered from Nderi Police Post to the weapon used in Dr Mutiso's killing.
“Investigations have established that the elimination of Dr Mutiso was driven by a longstanding land civil dispute,” Amin said, as detectives continued pursuing other suspects believed to have financed and coordinated the operation.
Investigators have relied on a combination of ballistic evidence, CCTV footage, vehicle tracking data and intelligence from various security agencies to reconstruct the events surrounding the killing.
According to detectives, two Toyota Prado vehicles were involved in the operation. One "allegedly" blocked the taxi carrying Dr Mutiso, while the second was used to transport members of the suspected hit squad.
The latest findings add to the growing body of evidence being assembled as detectives pursue the remaining suspects and attempt to establish the full chain of command and financing behind the killing.
Dr Mutiso was shot dead on July 29 after sustaining three gunshot wounds during the attack in Upper Hill. A postmortem examination established that she had been shot twice in the head and once through the upper back.