A Nairobi court has authorised detectives to detain actress and former television host Regina Wambui Gitau, popularly known as Regina Re, and three of her relatives for 10 days as investigations continue into the murder of her 86-year-old mother in Loresho.
The four suspects appeared before the High Court at Kibera Law Courts on Monday, November 2, 2026, following an application by detectives seeking additional time to investigate the killing of Dorita Lasinder Macharia.
The suspects are Regina Wambui Macharia Gitao, Thandie Malaika Wanjiku Gitao, Immanuel Walgwe Munyeki and Alton Jimmy Macharia.
Detectives from Gigiri Police Station, through the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), had initially requested 15 days to hold the suspects.
In an affidavit presented to the court, investigating officer Police Constable David Njoroge said the deceased was found murdered inside her house at Loresho Ridge Estate on the night of October 30, 2026, with a deep cut on the left side of her neck.
According to Njoroge, preliminary investigations indicated that the deceased had disagreed with her granddaughter, Thandie, after allegedly finding her in a compromising situation with her boyfriend, Alton, inside her bedroom.
The elderly woman reportedly became angry, ordered her granddaughter to leave the house and demanded that she surrender the room keys. She also allegedly instructed several friends who were at the residence to leave.
Police told the court that the deceased subsequently contacted her son, Jimmy, seeking his assistance in evicting Thandie.
Although the granddaughter initially left, she allegedly returned later and spent approximately an hour inside the house with the deceased.
Njoroge said the elderly woman was later discovered lying in a pool of blood, while Thandie reportedly ran outside screaming, "She is bleeding!" to friends waiting outside.
The four suspects were arrested at around 2am on October 31 and taken to Gigiri Police Station.
Detectives told the court they required more time to analyse CCTV footage recovered from the estate, conduct forensic examinations, obtain fingerprints and mobile phone call data records, and interview key witnesses.
They also intend to conduct a postmortem examination through a government pathologist before submitting the investigation file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) for further directions.
The investigating officer further claimed that the suspects had expressed willingness to provide information that could help police arrest other alleged accomplices who remain at large.
Police argued that releasing the suspects before completing investigations could interfere with efforts to establish the circumstances surrounding the murder.
The court subsequently granted detectives 10 days to detain the four as investigations continue.
The suspects are being investigated for murder under Section 203 as read with Section 204 of the Penal Code. They have not been convicted of the offence.
Regina Re's Acting Career
Regina Re gained recognition for playing Hope Baraka in the television drama Makutano Junction, where she portrayed the show's first female chief and Member of Parliament.
She also featured in productions such as A Better Life, The Inside Story, A Merry X-Mess and the comedy series Kam U Stay, alongside various theatre performances.
Beyond acting, Regina co-created and hosted KTN's popular game show Who's Smarter Now?, which ran between 1999 and 2006.
