The family of a 72-year-old man accused of orchestrating a plot to murder five of his relatives has raised concern over prolonged delays in the prosecution of the case, nearly two years after it was filed in court.
Appearing before the Naivasha Law Courts, the family, through their lawyer Mbugua Macharia, accused the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) of dragging its feet in advancing the case against Francis Muya, the alleged mastermind of the murder plot.
Muya faces five counts of conspiracy to murder his estranged wife, Rose Njeri Muya, and their four children, Antony Mwaura, Martin Muya, Alex Muya, and Oprah Muya, reportedly in a bid to seize a prime piece of land in Molo town. Court documents claim the elderly man, with the help of his daughter and her fiancé based in the United States, hired assassins at a cost of over Ksh.3 million to eliminate his family between March 1 and May 2, 2024.
The prosecution told the court it required an additional 30 days to finalize reviewing the case file, a move the family strongly opposed, citing alleged intimidation and the dropping of charges against some key suspects.
In a sworn statement by Paul Waithaka, one of the alleged hitmen turned State witness, Muya and his daughter met the hired killers at a Nakuru hotel and discussed plans to kidnap the victims, force them to transfer the land ownership, and then kill them. Waithaka claims he received Ksh.1.7 million as part of the deal, with the daughter flying in from the U.S. to finalize the payment.
Macharia urged Senior Resident Magistrate Wilson Rading to compel the ODPP to expedite the file review within two weeks, arguing that justice for the family has been delayed unnecessarily since Muya took a plea.
The court is expected to deliver a ruling on the matter on August 11, 2025.
Written By Rodney Mbua
