DPP wants a couple in the US extradited to face murder charges

Seventy two year old Francis Muya who has been charged at the Naivasha law courts with conspiracy to murder his estranged wife and four siblings over a parcel of prime land in Molo. [File, Standard]

The Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) now wants two suspects who are charged with conspiracy to murder five of their family members extradited from the US.

The DPP noted it was hard to arrest the couple that has been accused, along with their father, of planning to murder their mother and four siblings.

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 fiance, 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 said that they would be seeking warrants of arrest for the couple currently living in the US.

He noted that they would be working with Interpol to have the two arrested and extradited to the country to face seven charges.

The prosecutor told the court that they were now ready to proceed with the case that had taken over one year to start, sparking protests from the victims.

The victim's lawyer, Mbugua Macharia, welcomed the planned extradition, noting that the delay in charging the couple was one of the main causes for the delayed start of the case.

"We support plans to issue warrants of arrest for the two suspects in the US as part of kick-starting this case, which has dragged on for one year," he said.

However, Naivasha Chief Magistrate Abdulqadir Ramathan declined to issue a warrant of arrest after the defense team promised to make sure that the two suspects were in court during the hearing date on December 17, 2025.

He termed the process of extradition as a long one while warning the victims to stop street protests, which saw the previous magistrate step down from listening to the case.

"This matter will be held in an open court and not in the streets, and I shall not tolerate any protests or contempt of court during the period," he warned.

In the 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.