A senior police officer attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters, suspected of murdering his wife before fleeing, shall be held in police custody for 14 days pending completion of investigations.
Daniel Mburu Macharia is a suspect in a murder case in which his wife, Florence Nyagah, was found dead in a pool of blood in the house they shared.
Mburu, who has served for twenty years, was working under the Anti-Narcotics Unit at the time of the incident.
The couple had occasionally experienced domestic disputes but would resolve them amicably.
According to his counsel, Danstan Omari, the suspect was diagnosed with a mental illness in 2023 while serving in Mombasa.
“Your Honor, the suspect before you has been in police service for twenty years but does not understand himself now,” he said, urging the court to allow him to be admitted to Chiromo Hospital for treatment.
Inspector Wesly Terer confirmed to the court that they were ready to take the suspect to hospital for treatment but opposed Omari’s plea to have him admitted while investigations continue.
Terer prayed for 21 working days to detain the suspect at Kasarani Police Station to record statements from crucial witnesses, including neighbors who know the respondent is a police officer.
He added that a DNA analysis must be performed, a mental assessment conducted, possible involvement of other individuals established, and CCTV footage analysed before closing the file.
In his filed affidavit, Terer stated that Mburu was arrested by Kasarani officers at Naivasha Police Station after surrendering himself. Police believe he surrendered after his photographs were widely circulated online following the murder report at Kasarani Police Station under OB 31/01/03/2026.
The body of the 43-year-old was recovered in her house at Lumumba Drive on March 1, 2026, lying in a pool of blood with visible physical injuries in the living room.
The post-mortem report on March 2, 2026, conducted at Kenyatta National Hospital, concluded she succumbed to stab wounds inflicted by a sharp object.
Through his affidavit, Terer informed the court that the suspect was the last person seen with the deceased, who was last confirmed alive on February 27, 2026.
“Preliminary investigations show that the deceased may have been murdered by the respondent on an unspecified date between February 27 and March 1, 2026.”
It was established that the couple had been living together as husband and wife in the house where the body, bearing several stab wounds, was discovered.
While in Naivasha, he gave misleading information that he had been attacked by his wife and had run away to escape her wrath.
Officers from Naivasha liaised with the DCI Kasarani team, leading to his arrest. He was booked at Kasarani Police Station under OB 06/04/03/2026 at 4:30 a.m. and later presented before Makadara Law Courts Principal Magistrate Jane Mbati.
The application to remand the suspect for more days was opposed by defence counsel Danstan Omari and Shadrack Wambua, who told the court that Macharia had a mental illness.
In a rejoinder, Wambua reiterated that the 21-day detention sought undermined the suspect’s constitutional rights and freedoms, given his urgent need for medical care.
Wambua reminded the court that the investigating officer had already had five days since the incident and said: “If the investigating officer is asking for 21 days, then he should subtract the five days he already had.”
