Court orders four suspects in Dorita Macharia murder case detained for 10 days

The four respondents – Thande Malaika Gitau, Emmanuel Munyeki, Jimmy Macharia and Regina Wangui Macharia – will be detained at Gigiri Police Station, with the matter scheduled for mention on November 12.

The ruling by Magistrate Barbara Akinyi followed an application by the prosecution, which had sought 15 days to allow investigators to complete key aspects of the probe.

Prosecutor Faith Musoma told the court that detectives were yet to retrieve and process CCTV footage from the Loresho estate, record statements from witnesses believed to have been present, analyse the respondents' fingerprints and obtain their mobile phone call data records.

The investigating officer also required additional time to forward the investigation file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

The prosecution further argued that releasing the suspects could compromise investigations through possible witness interference, noting that the first respondent is a granddaughter of the deceased.

However, the defence opposed the application, arguing that the prosecution had not demonstrated compelling reasons to justify continued detention.

Lawyers representing some of the respondents told the court that their clients had already recorded statements and surrendered their mobile phones to investigators, insisting that the outstanding investigative procedures did not require them to remain in custody.

The defence also questioned aspects of the arrest process and maintained that the respondents' constitutional rights and personal liberties must be safeguarded.

In her ruling, Magistrate Akinyi observed that investigations were still at an early and sensitive stage, granting the prosecution 10 days instead of the 15 days requested.

Macharia was found dead in a pool of blood, with deep cut wounds, inside her Loresho home on the night of October 30, 2026.

The prosecution told the court that a postmortem examination was yet to be conducted to establish the cause of death.

The four suspects will remain in custody as investigations continue, pending the next court mention on November 12.