Court grants DCI 15 days to hold four suspects in Mathew Mbobu murder case

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 25 – A Nairobi court has granted the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) 15 days to continue holding four suspects arrested in connection with the killing of lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu.

Chief Magistrate Gethi Kibiru granted the application by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the DCI, allowing detectives additional time to complete investigations and pursue outstanding leads.

The four suspects — Julias Cheruiyot, Nicholas Naula Lemiso, Noah Kipkurui Langat and Kennedy Kipkemei — were arrested on September 24, 2026, following an intelligence-led operation.

The DCI had initially sought permission to detain the suspects for 30 days, citing the need to complete forensic examinations, conduct searches, analyse digital evidence and trace other individuals suspected of involvement in the killing.

According to an affidavit filed in court, Cheruiyot, a police officer attached to Pangani Police Station, is alleged to have been the gunman.

Detectives said a pistol, was recovered during the investigations and subjected to ballistic examination.

The DCI further told the court that cartridge cases and a bullet recovered during the investigation were linked through ballistic analysis to the firearm. Investigators allege that the weapon had been issued to Cheruiyot.

Lemiso is alleged to have provided transport during the operation, with detectives claiming he used a motorcycle to take Cheruiyot to the area where the shooting occurred.

Langat is accused of monitoring Mbobu’s movements. Investigators allege that he followed the lawyer’s vehicle from his office before the shooting.

Kipkemei, meanwhile, is alleged to have been involved in planning the attack. The DCI said he held meetings with Cheruiyot, Langat and another person whom investigators have identified as an alleged financier.

The allegations have not been tested in a criminal trial.

Mbobu was shot at around 6pm on September 9, 2025, while driving his car, near Brookhouse International School in Nairobi.

Police were alerted by members of the public, with the incident recorded at Langata Police Station.

DCI detectives and scenes-of-crime officers visited the scene before the Homicide Investigations Bureau took charge of the case.

Investigators said several exhibits were recovered from the vehicle, including a spent cartridge, bullet fragments and bullet heads.

The DCI has also been analysing CCTV footage and call-data records as detectives seek to establish Mbobu’s movements before the shooting and reconstruct the events surrounding his death.

A property dispute has emerged as one of the possible lines of inquiry being pursued by investigators.

Inspector Patrick Wachira of the Homicide Investigations Bureau told the court that Mbobu had been representing the family of Professor David Musyimi Ndetei in a land dispute before the Machakos Environment and Land Court.

The DCI said investigations remain ongoing and that other people suspected of involvement have not yet been arrested.

Detectives also said some exhibits recovered during the operation, including mobile phones, motorcycles and a firearm, require further analysis. Additional searches are planned at locations associated with the suspects.

The investigators argued that releasing the suspects at this stage could compromise the probe by exposing witnesses to possible interference, allowing suspects who remain at large to coordinate, or creating an opportunity for evidence to be concealed or destroyed.

The DCI also raised concerns over the safety of the four suspects, citing publicity surrounding the case and the fact that their identities are now known to members of the public and Mbobu’s family.

The four suspects will remain in custody for the 15 days granted by the court, as detectives pursue outstanding leads and finalise the investigation file.