High-profile assassinations in Kenya over the last decade

The killing of Nairobi lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu this week has once again drawn attention to a troubling pattern of high-profile assassinations in Kenya over the past ten years.

Mbobu was shot dead on Monday evening while driving home from work.

An autopsy conducted on Thursday revealed he had been shot at least eight times at close range.

According to investigators, Mbobu’s vehicle was trailed from Galleria Mall by two men on a motorcycle.

Security footage reportedly shows the pair following him before stopping a short distance from where his car was caught in traffic.

One of the attackers then walked to the driver’s side window and fired multiple rounds before escaping on the motorcycle.

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and the Senior Counsel Bar (SCB) condemned the killing, describing it as an attack on the rule of law, and urged the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to move swiftly with investigations.

Mbobu’s murder comes barely five months after former Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were was shot dead in similar circumstances.

He was attacked while stuck in traffic along Ngong Road, with assailants on a motorbike reportedly trailing him from Parliament buildings.

Several suspects were later arrested, and the case is still before the courts.

The recent killing has revived memories of other unsolved or controversial assassinations of prominent figures in Kenya in the last decade.

In October 2023, Pakistani investigative journalist Arshad Sharif was shot dead in Kajiado County. Kenyan authorities said it was a case of mistaken identity after his driver allegedly failed to stop at a makeshift roadblock, sparking a shootout.

A government report concluded no shots were fired from inside Sharif’s vehicle. However, a separate Pakistani fact-finding team disputed that version, describing the death as a premeditated assassination and pointing to what it called “transnational characters.”

The conflicting accounts fueled controversy and international concern.

In May 2016, outspoken businessman Jacob Juma was gunned down while driving near Lenana School in Nairobi.

His car, riddled with at least 10 bullet holes, ended up in a ditch.

Police reported that his personal belongings, including phones, cash, and a luxury watch, were left intact, ruling out robbery.

Gunmen on a motorcycle were believed to have carried out the attack. Juma had previously stated publicly that he feared for his life.

His murder remains unsolved.

A year earlier, in February 2015, Kabete MP George Muchai, his two bodyguards, and his driver were killed in central Nairobi.

Their vehicle was rammed near Nyayo House before a gunman opened fire with what investigators believed to be a high-velocity rifle. The attack shocked the nation, given Muchai’s prominent role as a legislator and trade unionist.

Just months later, in May 2015, James Karanja, an internal auditor at Nakumatt Holdings, was shot dead outside the company’s headquarters on Mombasa Road.

Gunmen on a motorcycle fired three shots—two to the head and one to the chest—as he left the office around 5 pm.

Nothing was stolen