A year after the killing of city lawyer and former University of Nairobi law lecturer Kyalo Mbobu, his family is still waiting for answers about who was responsible for his death and what may have motivated the shooting.
More than 100 relatives and friends gathered at the family's Mua Hills home on September 9, 2026, to mark the first anniversary of his death.
A year later, his family says it is yet to receive a definitive account of the progress of investigations or the circumstances surrounding the killing.
During the memorial, family members called on security agencies to intensify investigations and bring those responsible to justice.
The family's concerns were echoed by lawyer Maluki Mbobu, his younger brother and family spokesperson.
“The family has been patiently and anxiously waiting for police to make arrests as they promised to leave no stone unturned until they apprehend the lawyer's killers,” Maluki told the Nation.
He said police recorded statements from members of the family shortly after the killing. He and the deceased's widow were among those who were asked to provide information to investigators.
Lawyer Kyalo Mbobu.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Mr Maluki said Kyalo was a private practitioner who operated Kyalo Mbobu & Associates from Usalama House along Standard Street, Nairobi. He was also an author of legal books and had previously served as a law professor at the University of Nairobi.
Following his death, the law firm was wound up and its affairs handled by Anne Mululu, the administrator of his estate. The lawyers and support staff who worked at the firm have since moved on, according to Maluki.
Claims linking the two cases have also emerged in public statements and investigations, although the circumstances of each killing remain subject to the ongoing criminal justice process.
Prominent Nairobi lawyer, Mathew Kyalo Mbobu was shot and killed in his car by an assailant on a motorbike on Magadi Road in Karen.
Photo credit: File | Nation
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has previously alleged that police officers were involved in the killings. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations subsequently confirmed that its investigations into Dr Mutiso's killing had led to the arrest of several suspects.
Several people have since been arrested and charged in connection with the Mutiso case, including civilians and police officers.
One police officer has been accused in court of using a firearm allegedly assigned to another senior officer. The allegations are yet to be tested through the full court process.
Maluki said Kyalo had previously represented Prof David Musyimi Ndetei in legal proceedings involving Prof Ndetei's former wife, Rose Mbithe Mulwa.
He said the legal dispute included proceedings over property and a defamation case involving Kyalo and Ms Mulwa. Court proceedings relating to those disputes have previously been before the courts.
The family is particularly interested in developments concerning a property in Mlolongo, Machakos County, which has featured in proceedings surrounding Dr Mutiso's death.
According to court filings in the Mutiso case, investigators have cited the property as one of the issues they are examining in connection with the alleged motive for her killing. The claims remain part of an ongoing criminal investigation and court proceedings.
Maluki said the family believes these developments warrant further scrutiny by investigators to establish whether they have any connection to Kyalo's killing.
“Now that there are fresh clues linking Kyalo to the Mlolongo property, police should move with a view to bringing to book the killers of Kyalo,” he said.
Lawyer Kyalo Mbobu was brutally shot dead by two assailants on a motorbike in an attack that detectives have ruled out as a robbery. The well-planned attack, which involved eight gunshots, suggests that it was a premeditated assassination.
Photo credit: Evans Habil, File | Nation
He, however, stressed that the family wants the investigations and any subsequent prosecutions to follow due process.
For the family, the central question remains unanswered: who killed Kyalo Mbobu?
Maluki said the family would continue to wait for the outcome of investigations and hoped that those responsible would eventually be identified and brought before a court.
A year after the killing, the family says it remains committed to seeking justice while leaving the determination of responsibility to investigators and the courts.
