Detectives investigating the fatal shooting of clinical psychologist Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso are retracing a series of incidents she reported before her death after emerging details suggested she had raised concerns about her safety months before she was gunned down in Nairobi.
The reports, which include an alleged attack at her Mlolongo residence and another encounter involving a man believed to be armed, have now become part of the homicide investigation as detectives seek to establish whether they were linked to Wednesday's killing.
Dr Mutiso was on her way to work in a taxi when she was attacked along Mbagathi Road in Upper Hill. Police said a dark-coloured vehicle suddenly blocked the taxi before a man got out, walked to the rear passenger seat where she was seated and shot her. The gunman escaped immediately after the attack.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting have led investigators to pursue the possibility that the killing was carefully planned, with preliminary findings indicating the attackers may have tracked her movements from home before striking.
Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Liaison and Corporate Affairs chief John Marete said detectives responded to the scene, collected forensic samples and recorded statements from witnesses to help establish what happened.
He, however, declined to reveal the identities of the two people arrested over the incident or disclose the evidence gathered so far, saying the investigation is still active.
As detectives widen the investigation, they are also revisiting an incident reported by Dr Mutiso in February involving her home in Mlolongo.
According to the report she filed at Mlolongo Police Station as reported by Daily Nation, several people, among them individuals she identified as police officers, entered the compound, destroyed property and attempted to force members of her family out of the house.
She further identified a senior police officer as the person who led the operation.
Dr Mutiso later complained that despite reporting the matter, she was not immediately issued with an official Occurrence Book reference. The Daily Nation established that the reference was eventually provided in May.
Attempts to obtain a response from the relevant police command regarding the complaint had not yielded any response by the time of publication.
The second incident happened on July 7 when Dr Mutiso reported that she had stopped at traffic lights in Nairobi before a man carrying what appeared to be a firearm got off a motorcycle and started walking towards her vehicle.
She managed to drive away before the man reached her car and later reported the matter at Kilimani Police Station.
Police confirmed that investigation into the incident is ongoing.
Only three weeks later, Dr Mutiso was fatally shot.
Investigators are now trying to determine whether the earlier reports were isolated incidents or whether they formed part of a chain of events that ended with her killing.
The investigation is also looking into a long-running property dispute involving a house that had been at the centre of matrimonial and ownership cases for more than 20 years.
The court battle over the ownership and occupation of the property eventually resulted in an eviction.
Detectives are seeking to establish whether anyone connected to the dispute could have had a motive or any involvement in the fatal shooting.
Police have confirmed that two people remain in custody, although investigators have not disclosed their identities or explained the evidence linking them to the case.
Forensic specialists continue examining exhibits recovered during searches, while detectives are interviewing witnesses and other people who may help reconstruct Dr Mutiso's movements before the attack.
"The DCI confirms that two persons of interest are in custody and are undergoing interrogation as part of ongoing investigations," police said.
The killing has also renewed concerns over rising insecurity in Nairobi following a series of recent gun attacks and robberies reported in different parts of the city.