Lawyer Kyalo Mbobu last moments: How gunman trailed, shot him dead

Prominent Nairobi lawyer and lecturer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu was on Tuesday evening shot dead in a daring attack along Magadi Road.

Mbobu, a former chairman of the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, was ambushed at around 5.30 p.m. as he drove alone to his Bogani residence in Karen.

Police say he was shot at least three times in the chin and head at close range.

According to investigators, the gunman and his rider trailed Mbobu’s four-wheel-drive vehicle from the Galleria Mall.

Security footage shows the pair following him slowly past Brookhouse School before stopping about 40 meters from where his car was stuck in traffic.

The assailant, armed with a pistol, walked to the driver’s side and fired through a half-closed window, shattering the glass.

Witnesses said the lawyer’s car rolled forward and hit a matatu as terrified passengers scrambled for safety.

Police collected three spent cartridges at the scene. Nothing was stolen from Mbobu, reinforcing suspicions that he was the target of a planned hit.

After the shooting, the gunman ran back to the waiting motorcycle.

 When boda boda riders attempted to chase them, he fired twice into the air, scattering the crowd before speeding toward the city centre.

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Homicide Unit combed the scene for evidence and have begun tracing Mbobu’s last movements. DCI Director Mohamed Amin confirmed the matter is being treated as murder.

Preliminary findings show that earlier in the day, Mbobu left his office on Koinange Street, had lunch at a restaurant on Jakaya Kikwete Road, then drove through Valley Road and Lang’ata Road before joining Magadi Road.

Investigators visited the restaurant on Wednesday to establish who he met before the attack.

First responders said they found him slumped on the driver’s seat with the engine still running.

“He had been shot in the head. By the time help reached him, he had died,” said a witness.

The killing caused a heavy traffic jam that stretched for kilometres before the area was cleared.

Police say they have not established the motive but are considering whether the attack was linked to Mbobu’s legal work.

He had represented clients in several high-profile disputes in recent years.

The murder has drawn parallels with other violent incidents targeting prominent figures.

In April 2025, Kasipul MP Charles Were survived an armed attack near City Mortuary.

And in November 2024, Dr. Wilfred Mutubwa, Vice Chairperson of the Political Disputes Tribunal and Dean of Mount Kenya University’s School of Law, died suddenly during a virtual court session.

Mutubwa was also a leading figure in the promotion of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR).

Mbobu’s death has shocked the legal fraternity, where he was respected as both a lawyer and a lecturer.

Detectives say they are pursuing leads from security cameras along Magadi Road as the investigation continues.