Veteran TV Host Regina Re, Daughter Detained Over 86-Year-Old Mother's Murder

Veteran Kenyan television personality Regina Re and her 18-year-old daughter are among four people detained as investigations into the murder of her 86-year-old mother, Dorita Macharia continue.

The suspects appeared in court on Monday, 2 November 2026, where the prosecution and defence presented their arguments on whether they should be detained further to allow investigators to complete their inquiries.

Macharia was found murdered inside her home at Loresho Ridge Estate on Friday, 30 October 2026.

According to the prosecution, she was killed at night after sustaining a deep cut to the left side of her neck.

Regina Re became a familiar face on Kenyan television in the late 1990s when she hosted the popular game show Who's Smarter Now?, which attracted audiences with its question-and-answer format.

Her daughter, identified in court documents as Thandie Malika, is the first respondent in the case.

The third respondent, Alton Jimmy Macharia, is the deceased's son, while the second respondent is identified as Emmanuel Munyeki, who was reportedly the daughter's boyfriend.

According to an account presented by the investigating officer, Macharia had an altercation with her granddaughter after allegedly finding her with her boyfriend inside her bedroom in a compromising situation.

The elderly woman reportedly became upset and instructed her granddaughter to leave the house.

The granddaughter initially left the premises but later returned.

Prosecutors told the court that she and Macharia subsequently remained inside the house for approximately an hour.

The deceased was later discovered lying in a pool of blood with a deep wound on the left side of her neck.

Following the discovery, the granddaughter reportedly ran outside, screaming that Macharia was bleeding and alerted friends who were said to be outside the property.

The prosecution also told the court that the first and third respondents lived in the same house as the deceased, placing them close to the scene during the period under investigation.

Macharia's eldest son, Ian Macharia, who lives in the United States, is being represented in court by senior counsel Philip Murgor.

The prosecution is expected to rely on CCTV footage, post-mortem findings and accounts from employees at the residence to establish what happened before and after Macharia's death.

Murgor questioned the circumstances of the incident, arguing that the available information pointed to a murder rather than an accidental death.

"Why do I say a murder? Because I didn't hear one person say it was an accident. So it was a question of who did it?" he submitted.

Seven people were initially arrested in connection with the murder, but the number of suspects still being held had reduced to four by the time of the court proceedings.

Lawyers representing the respondents opposed their continued detention, arguing that investigators could proceed with their work without keeping the suspects in police custody.

The prosecution had sought 15 days to complete investigations, citing the need to preserve evidence and protect the integrity of the inquiry.

However, Magistrate B. A. Amino ruled that releasing the suspects at that stage could interfere with ongoing investigations.

The court approved a shorter detention period of 10 days instead of the 15 days requested by the state.

The four suspects will remain at Gigiri Police Station as detectives continue investigating the circumstances of Macharia's death.