Lawyer Kyalo Mbobu was brutally shot dead by two assailants on a motorbike in an attack that detectives have ruled out as a robbery.
Police have broadened investigations into the killing of city lawyer Kyalo Mbobu on Tuesday, with focus on eight individuals.
In addition to the three persons of interest detained in Nairobi on Friday, the team from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) says it is looking for five others.
Among those under scrutiny is a man who appeared to follow Mbobu from his office on Kaunda Street in the city centre.
Detectives say the man was in a black jacket and a white T-shirt. He was captured on security camera making a call, but disconnected it once Mr Mbobu walked past him.
“The eight are considered people of interest. Investigators are following more leads,” said a detective, who did not wish to be named as he is not authorised to talk to journalists.
Mbobu, who once chaired the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, was shot eight times while driving home on Magadi Road, Nairobi.
A gunman on a motorbike pulled up alongside Mbobu’s car and opened fire.
The detective told the Sunday Nation that investigators have been following clues on the eight individuals, adding that they could provide important information or may be involved in the killing.
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.
On Friday morning, detectives arrested three people – a politician, his nephew and a businessman – and made them record statements at Nairobi Area police station before moving them to different stations.
The politician was taken to Kileleshwa police station, while his nephew is at Kilimani police station.
The third person was driven to Capitol Hill police station.
The three are Mbobu’s neighbours in Karen, DCI investigators say.
Marches by lawyers
In the statement to police, the politician – through his lawyer Musa Maulid – denied knowing or having business dealings with Mbobu.
He told police that he was at Sagret Hotel, where the three persons of interest met Mbobu for a lunch meeting with his nephew, in which they were to exchange documents for an undisclosed venture.
The politician adds in his statement that he bumped into his friend – the person at Capitol Hill police station – at Sagret Hotel and that they interacted with the lawyer briefly.
After pleasantries with his friend and Mbobu, the politician says he ended the meeting with his nephew and left for Yaya Centre where he had other matters to attend to. The statement adds that after leaving for a mall in Kilimani estate, he went to Ndeiya, Kiambu County, where he has a farm.
He told police that he arrived around 3.30pm and left for his Karen home at 7pm.
A vehicle driven by lawyer Kyalo Mbobu, after he was shot in Karen, is parked in the Nairobi Area on September 10, 2025.
Police officers say they seized a huge amount of cash from the politician’s house. According to the politician’s lawyer, the amount in question is legitimate.
He expressed confidence that the police would return the money to his client after verifying its origin.
The third person of interest, a businessman who was Mbobu’s friend and jogging partner, told investigators that after the Sagret Hotel meeting, he went back home.
He added that later that Tuesday, he saw Mbobu’s killing announced on TV and quickly walked to the lawyer’s home to condole with the family.
Investigators’ interest in the three arrested individuals was aroused after they were seen speaking with the lawyer on CCTV footage extracted from Sagret Hotel.
Lawyers and other judiciary staff in Eldoret protest the killing of Lawyer Mbobu Kyalo on September 12, 2025.
Analyses of Mbobu’s phone, which police say is ongoing, has aided detectives in drawing up the list of persons of interest.
Lawyers in several towns on Friday held demonstrations over the killing Mbobu.
Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo called for the strengthening of gun control and accountability to stop misuse. She said the killing was calculated, adding that lawyers handling sensitive cases like rights violations and land disputes face harassment and threats.
In Kisumu, West Kenya LSK Chairperson Grace Otieno said the killing has outraged the legal fraternity and demanded the quick arrest and prosecution of the perpetrators.
