Nyeri High Court on Friday directed that Major Peter Mugure who is a key suspect in the murder of his wife and two children undergo a mental assessment before taking a plea.
Mugure will consequently be held behind bars at King'ong'o Prison for seven more days as he undergoes the assessment at Nyeri Level Five Hospital.
The assessment had been scheduled to be conducted at the Nanyuki General Hospital but failed to happen, resulting in the suspect being transported to Nyeri.
Nyeri High Court Judge Julius Ngaa ordered the mental check-up to be done on December 12.
The suspect will then take a plea on December 17.
Efforts by the suspect's lawyer Cliff Ombeta to have the suspect freed from police custody were turned down by the judge.
"On this date, it will be a public holiday but the psychiatrist provides essential services so I expect him to be on duty on that day. I don't think that a week from today will be an unreasonable delay," the judge ruled.
Major Mugure is accused of killing his wife Joyce Syombua and their two children Shanice Maua and Prince Michael.
Together with his accomplices, he buried their bodies in a shallow grave in one of Nanyuki's cemeteries.