Police-issued gun linked to lawyer Mbobu murder as constable arrested

NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 24 — A police constable suspected of being the gunman in the killing of lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu has been arrested after detectives recovered a pistol issued to him and linked the firearm to the murder through ballistic examination.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot was arrested following a year-long investigation into the September 2025 killing of Mbobu, in what it described as a breakthrough in the case.

Detectives recovered the Ceska pistol that had been issued to Cheruiyot at the time of the shooting.

“Ballistic examination has since confirmed that the firearm was indeed used in the shooting that claimed the life of Lawyer Mbobu,” the DCI said in a statement on Thursday.

The finding, the agency said, has strengthened the evidentiary trail being assembled by detectives investigating the killing.

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

The DCI said he was killed in a targeted attack and that specialised teams from its Homicide Directorate, working with forensic experts, had spent the past year reconstructing the circumstances surrounding the killing.

The investigation has also placed another police officer, Inspector Kenneth Sang, at the centre of the alleged operation.

According to the DCI, Sang allegedly coordinated the operation in liaison with Rose Mbithe, who is already in police custody in connection with the July 29, 2026, killing of Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso in Nairobi.

Sang remains at large, the DCI said.

The agency did not disclose details of the alleged motive or explain how the two killings may have been connected, saying investigations were still underway to establish the full circumstances, including the motive, planning and execution of Mbobu’s murder.

Cheruiyot remains in custody and is being processed pending arraignment in court, according to the DCI.

The agency said it was pursuing additional leads and would seek to identify and apprehend all those suspected of involvement in the killing.

“The DCI remains committed to pursuing all persons suspected to have participated in the murder, regardless of their position or affiliation, and ensuring that they are brought before the law,” it said.

Mbobu’s killing shocked the legal fraternity after he was shot while driving home from work. Initial reports said a gunman riding a motorcycle pulled alongside his vehicle and opened fire before fleeing.