DCI opens probe into fatal shooting of lawyer Kyalo Mbobu

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has opened a probe into the fatal shooting of veteran lawyer Kyalo Mbobu, who was killed in a drive-by attack along Magadi Road, Nairobi, on Tuesday evening, September 9, 2025.

In a statement released on Wednesday, September 10, the DCI said homicide detectives, led by Nairobi’s Regional Criminal Investigations Officer and supported by experts from the National Forensic Laboratory, secured and examined the crime scene.

“The DCI is committed to ensuring that the perpetrators of this heinous act are brought to justice. Our investigators are working diligently, employing all available resources and expertise to piece together the events surrounding this incident,” said Mr John Marete on behalf of the Director of Criminal Investigations.

The agency extended condolences to Mbobu’s family and urged the public to share any information through the #FichuaKwaDCI hotline.

The killing triggered outrage within Kenya’s legal fraternity. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK), through its President Faith Odhiambo, described Mbobu’s death as “a dark day for the legal profession and the country at large,” warning of a disturbing pattern of violence and intimidation against advocates.

“We are apprehensive that this has all the markings of a predetermined assassination. Too often, advocates have been victimised and targeted for the work that they do,” Ms Odhiambo said.

She noted that the effective discharge of constitutional functions by lawyers required an environment free from fear and persecution.

She lauded Mbobu’s three-decade legacy in litigation, mentorship, and scholarship, highlighting his role as a lecturer at the University of Nairobi and his tenure as Chair of the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal.

“Through his expansive practice and devout service, Mr Mbobu made instrumental contributions to Kenya’s legal and governance space. His scholarly work in the law of evidence will remain invaluable,” she said.

To press for accountability, LSK announced a nationwide Purple Ribbon March on Friday, September 12, 2025.

In Nairobi, the procession will start at Milimani Law Courts, proceed along Kenyatta Avenue, and culminate at Vigilance House with the presentation of a memorandum to the Inspector General of Police.

All eight branches of the society will hold simultaneous events, with members urged to wear purple ribbons in solidarity.

“Such calamitous levels of insecurity place our country at the precipice of lawlessness—a state we all bear a constitutional duty to protect Kenya from,” LSK said in its statement.

Other leaders echoed the society’s alarm. Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo described Mr Mbobu’s killing as “shocking,” likening it to the recent assassination of a sitting MP. “What is happening to humanity?” she asked.

The legal community recalled previous attacks that shook the country, including the 2022 murder of human rights lawyer Willie Kimani and his client, which exposed the dangers facing practitioners who take on politically sensitive cases.