DPP Orders DCI to Investigate Death of Gospel Singer Betty Bayo

By : Mweru Mbugua 

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has instructed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to commence investigations into the death of renowned gospel singer Betty Bayo, whose real name was Beatrice Wairimu Mbugua

In a letter addressed to the DCI on Tuesday, the DPP directed that thorough investigations be conducted and the findings submitted to the prosecution within seven days

The move follows a formal request by the singer’s mother, Joyce Wairimu, who on December 9 wrote to the DPP seeking an inquest into her daughter’s death

Betty Bayo, famed for the hit song 11th Hour, passed away on November 10, 2025, at Kenyatta National Hospital, where her family said she had been undergoing treatment

At the time, a family spokesperson, accompanied by the singer’s husband Hiram Gitau, stated that she had succumbed to leukaemia

However, in her letter to the DPP, Wairimu expressed doubts over the cause of death, alleging that her daughter had not shown signs of illness and that her death was mysterious. She further claimed that the family suspected foul play

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Wairimu also raised concerns over events following Bayo’s death, alleging that the family was denied access to an autopsy report and that the burial was conducted hurriedly, potentially to conceal crucial details surrounding her death

Additionally, she claimed the family was not provided with medical records or clear information on the treatment Bayo had been receiving prior to her passing

The outcome of the DCI investigations is now awaited as prosecutors seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the gospel singer’s death