Police Officer Arrested Over Killing of Lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu

Nearly a year after lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu was shot dead on a Nairobi road, detectives have arrested a police officer they suspect was the gunman.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said on Thursday, September 24, that Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot had been arrested following a year-long investigation into the killing.

The case has taken a significant turn after detectives linked a firearm issued to Cheruiyot to the shooting.

According to the DCI, investigators recovered a Ceska pistol that had been issued to the police officer and submitted it for ballistic examination.

The agency said the examination established that the firearm was used in the shooting that killed Mbobu.

The finding, if sustained through the court process, could provide investigators with a key forensic link between the suspect and the murder weapon.

The DCI described the arrest as a major breakthrough after months of investigations.

“Detectives have identified and arrested Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot, suspected to be the gunman who fatally shot the lawyer,” the DCI said.

The agency added that the ballistic findings had strengthened the evidence being assembled against the suspect.

Cheruiyot remains a suspect and has not been convicted of the offence.

Mbobu was killed on his way home

Mbobu was shot dead on September 9, 2025, while driving home from work along Magadi Road in Nairobi.

Police initially described the incident as a targeted attack.

Investigators said at the time that the lawyer had been followed before gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on his vehicle.

A post-mortem examination later established that Mbobu had been shot eight times.

Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor said two bullets were recovered from his body and that he died from severe injuries and excessive bleeding.

The motive remained unclear during the early stages of the investigation.

The murder sent shockwaves through Kenya's legal fraternity. Mbobu was a prominent advocate, law lecturer and former chairman of the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.

He also taught law at the University of Nairobi and the Kenya School of Law and authored The Law and Practice of Evidence in Kenya.

Investigation widens beyond one murder

The arrest comes after detectives had begun examining another possible lead in the case.

In August, DCI Director Mohamed Amin said investigators were looking into whether some people under investigation over the killing of clinical psychologist Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso could also have links to Mbobu's murder.

“Some of the suspects involved in this incident may also be linked to the tragic drive-by shooting” of the lawyer, Amin said at the time.

Mutiso was shot dead in Nairobi on July 29, 2026.

The DCI has not established publicly that the two murders were connected. The possible link remains part of an active investigation.

The two cases have attracted attention because of overlapping lines of inquiry involving people and disputes that detectives are examining.

In August, police arrested suspects in the Mutiso investigation and recovered a pistol and a motorcycle, among other items. Detectives said they were examining whether some of those suspects could also be connected to the earlier killing of Mbobu.

Family had waited for answers

Mbobu's family marked the first anniversary of his death earlier this month while still seeking answers over who killed him and why.

At a memorial held in September, relatives and friends called for the investigation to be completed and those responsible to face justice.

The arrest of Cheruiyot now gives the case a new direction.

But detectives still have to establish the full chain of events surrounding the shooting, including who may have organised it, whether others were involved and what motivated the attack.

The ballistic finding will also form part of the evidence presented to court if the suspect is formally charged.

For now, the DCI says its investigation is continuing.

The case that began with a daylight shooting on Magadi Road nearly a year ago has now moved closer to the courtroom, with investigators pointing to a serving police officer and a firearm allegedly issued to him as two critical pieces of the evidence trail.

About the Author

Maureen Onyango is a journalist passionate about storytelling, life coaching and spiritual lessons. She studied at the Kenya Institute of Management and enjoys telling stories that inform, inspire and empower communities.