DPP given deadline in murder suit against 73-year-old granny

High Court Advocate Mbugua Macharia (R) has a word with victims in a case where 72-year-old Francis Muya is charged in a Naivasha court with conspiracy to murder five of his family members over a prime property of land in Molo.[Antony Gitonga,Standard]

A Naivasha court has given the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) two months to release a file in which a 73-year-old man is charged with planning the murder of five members of his family.

The court further wants the DPP to declare the progress made in extraditing two suspects who are currently living in the US and are wanted in regard to the case.

This came as the victims in the case cried foul over the slow manner in which the DPP was taking to give directions in the case that has dragged on for over two years.

In the case, 72-year-old Francis Muya, who is the main suspect, faces five counts of conspiracy to murder, while the daughter and her fiancé, both in the US, are wanted for similar charges.

Muya is charged that on diverse dates between 1st March and 2nd May 2024, jointly with others not in court, he hired killers at a cost of over Sh3m to murder his estranged wife, Rose Njeri Muya.

He also faces four other charges of conspiracy to murder Antony Mwaura, Martin Muya, Alex Muya and Oprah Muya, the farmers' three sons and a daughter respectively.

When the case came up for hearing, the prosecutor Joseck Abwajo sought for adjournment, noting that the file was still with the DPP.

He blamed the delay in starting the case on complaints from both parties, forcing the DPP to recall the file for further perusal.

“The DPP is still studying the file, and we are waiting for directions before deciding on how to carry on with the case,” he told the court.

The victim's lawyer, Mbugua Macharia, however, accused the prosecution of using delaying tactics to stall the case that has continued to attract public attention.

“We are asking the court to issue the last adjournment and to issue an extradition order of the two suspects in the US so that this case can kick off,” he said.

Naivasha Chief Magistrate Abdulqadir Ramathan gave the DPP until  February 18, 2026, to issue directives on the file while calling for private prosecution if this did not happen.

In this case, the granny, with the help of his daughter and son-in-law, allegedly hired killers to assist in getting rid of the family members so that they could take over the prime plot in Molo town.

According to documents filed in court, the plan started on the 1st of March 20204 when the father and his daughter allegedly met the two killers in a hotel in Nakuru.

They settled for a fee of Sh3.1m and proceeded to get the cash through the father and daughter, as the woman who lives in the US flew back.