The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has announced a major breakthrough in the murder of prominent lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu, nearly a year after he was fatally shot while driving home along Magadi Road in Nairobi.
In a statement issued on Thursday, September 24, 2026, the DCI said detectives had arrested Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot, whom they suspect of being the gunman who killed Mbobu on September 9, 2025.
The agency said the arrest followed an intensive investigation conducted over the past year.
The latest development also saw detectives recover a Ceska pistol that had been issued to Cheruiyot at the time of the incident. According to the DCI, ballistic examination has confirmed that the firearm was used in the shooting that claimed Mbobu's life.
The forensic finding has provided investigators with a key piece of evidence as they build their case against those suspected of being involved in the killing. The DCI described the ballistic finding as a significant breakthrough that has strengthened the evidentiary trail.
Mbobu was killed on September 9, 2025, while driving home from work along Magadi Road. Earlier investigations established that he was attacked in what detectives described as a targeted shooting.
A government report presented to the Senate in April 2026 stated that Mbobu was accosted near Brookhouse International School by two men riding a motorcycle, one of whom was armed with a pistol. He was fatally shot eight times, while four spent cartridges were recovered from the scene.
A post-mortem examination conducted two days after the shooting established that the lawyer died from multiple injuries caused by gunshot wounds. Two bullet heads recovered from his body, together with cartridges collected at the scene, were submitted for ballistic analysis.
The DCI has now further named Inspector Kenneth Sang, who is currently at large, as another person allegedly involved in the operation. According to investigators, Sang allegedly coordinated the operation in liaison with Rose Mbithe, who is already in police custody in connection with the murder of Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso.
Dr Mutiso was fatally shot on July 29, 2026, in Upper Hill, Nairobi. The alleged connection between the two cases has become part of the ongoing investigations, although the DCI has not disclosed a final determination of the motive behind Mbobu's killing.
The agency said its investigation remains active as detectives pursue additional leads to establish the full circumstances, motive, planning and execution of the murder.
The DCI also said it would continue pursuing all persons suspected of participating in the killing, regardless of their position or affiliation.
Cheruiyot remains in police custody undergoing processing ahead of his arraignment in court. The allegations against him and any other suspects remain subject to the judicial process.