Tragedy struck Nairobi on the evening of September 9, when prominent lawyer and governance expert Advocate Mathew Kyalo Mbobu was brutally killed along Lang’ata/Magadi Road. According to initial reports and detective findings, Mbobu was heading home when he was tailed by two men on motorcycles. These assailants opened fire on his vehicle, leading to his instantaneous death before fleeing the scene.

An eyewitness, Peris Wambugu, who was a passenger on a bus travelling on the same busy road, recounted the harrowing moments. She described seeing a motorist shot, with the hooded shooter calmly walking past other vehicles, gun in hand, before escaping on a waiting boda boda (motorcycle taxi). Traffic came to a sudden standstill as the attacker made his getaway.

The Star newspaper reported that Mbobu’s vehicle window was shattered, and he sustained multiple gunshots, specifically at least three to the chin, causing him to slump lifelessly at the wheel. His body remained in the driver's seat as police swiftly sealed off the nearly deserted stretch of road, just under a kilometre from Galleria Mall, for forensic processing. Several spent cartridges were discovered at the scene, confirming the violent nature of the attack.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) immediately launched a comprehensive investigation into Mbobu's killing. In a statement issued on September 10, the DCI affirmed its commitment to leaving no stone unturned in bringing the perpetrators to justice. A specialized team of detectives, led by the Regional Criminal Investigations Officer (RCIO) and supported by experts from the National Forensic Laboratory, secured the crime scene and meticulously collected critical evidence. Authorities are also reviewing CCTV footage along Magadi and Lang’ata Roads in an effort to identify and track the hooded assailants.

John Matere, speaking on behalf of the Director of Criminal Investigations, urged the public to remain calm and appealed for any information that could assist the ongoing probe. The DCI provided a toll-free hotline and a WhatsApp number for confidential tips, emphasizing their dedication to securing justice for Mbobu and his loved ones. Mbobu, a respected member of Kenya's legal fraternity and former Political Parties Disputes Tribunal chairperson, was remembered by colleagues as a brilliant practitioner and mentor whose untimely death has sent shockwaves through the profession.

This heinous act, carried out by gun-wielding assassins on motorbikes, highlights a disturbing and increasingly common pattern in Nairobi, which has seen similar high-profile assassinations, including that of businessman Jacob Juma and Kasipul Member of Parliament Ong'ondo Were. Such incidents leave families in mourning and communities in despair, underscoring the urgency of the DCI's efforts to apprehend those responsible for Mbobu’s cold-blooded murder.