A senior Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer accused of brutally killing his wife has been released on bail, weeks after one of Nairobi’s most chilling domestic violence cases gripped the nation.
Daniel Mburu Macharia, a senior officer attached to the DCI headquarters, has been released on a cash bail of KSh 1.5 million by the Makadara High Court after being accused of fatally stabbing his wife, Florence Nyagah, at their apartment along Lumumba Drive in Roysambu.
In a ruling rendered by Justice James Wakiaga freed the officer subject to strict conditions, including a prohibition from interfering with witnesses and a ban on leaving the court’s jurisdiction without express permission.
Macharia has since pleaded to a murder charge over the killing of his wife before the High Court.
The case dates back to the night of February 27, 2026, when the couple’s relationship took a fatal turn.
Investigations revealed that the couple had quarrelled over an unknown issue on the afternoon of February 27.
The dispute escalated and was reported to the deceased’s firstborn daughter and her sister.
Florence contacted one witness via WhatsApp video call and asked her to come and help resolve the matter, but Macharia told the witness they would settle the issue amicably.
Attempts to reach Florence by phone that night proved futile.
Macharia occasionally answered callers, claiming he and his wife were resolving an underlying issue, before both phones eventually went off.
On March 1, 2026, the deceased’s daughter and sister visited the house after failing to contact either party and discovered Florence’s body lying on the floor, covered with a blanket.
Inside the apartment, investigators found her body lying in a pool of blood with visible injuries.
According to initial findings, she had sustained three stab wounds on the left side of the chest and a deep open wound on the forehead.
A blood-stained knife, lacking a handle, was recovered hidden beneath the kitchen table and is believed to be the murder weapon.
Macharia escaped the scene for four days before surrendering to authorities in Naivasha.
Police alleged the suspect fled and switched off his phone before later handing himself in, believed to have been prompted by the widespread circulation of his photographs in the media.
A post-mortem conducted at Kenyatta National Hospital on March 2 confirmed that Florence died from stab wounds inflicted by a sharp object.
She was 43 years old and worked as a saloonist in the area.
During earlier court proceedings, Macharia’s defence counsels, Danstan Omari and Shadrack Wambui, argued that he suffers from mental illness and had been receiving treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital before being transferred to Chiromo Hospital.
Omari urged the court to treat Macharia as a patient rather than merely a suspect.
Prosecutors, however, opposed the application, noting that no medical documentation had been tendered to support the claim.
During investigations a magistrate initially ordered Macharia’s detention for 14 days at Kasarani Police Station as detectives continued investigations.
He has since been formally charged with murder before the High Court.
The matter will continue before the High Court, with Macharia required to comply fully with the bail conditions set by trial Judge.
