The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has announced the arrest of a police officer suspected of killing prominent lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu in Nairobi nearly a year after the fatal shooting.
In a statement issued on Thursday, September 24, the DCI identified the suspect as Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot, whom detectives believe was the gunman behind the lawyer’s death.
Detectives reportedly recovered a Ceska pistol that had been issued to Cheruiyot around the time of the incident. A forensic examination of the firearm established that it was used in the shooting that killed Mbobu.
"The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has made a breakthrough in the investigation into the murder of prominent lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu. Following an intensive and painstaking investigation over the past year, detectives have identified and arrested Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot, suspected of being the gunman who fatally shot the lawyer," DCI stated.
The investigative agency said ballistic analysis had provided a crucial link between the firearm and the killing.
"Ballistic examination has since confirmed that the firearm was indeed used in the shooting that claimed the life of Lawyer Mbobu. The finding provides a significant forensic breakthrough in the investigation. Further, it strengthens the evidentiary trail being assembled by detectives," it added.
Mbobu was shot dead on September 9, 2025, while driving home from work along Magadi Road in Nairobi. The DCI previously described the incident as a targeted attack.
Detectives have also identified Inspector Kenneth Sang as another suspect in the investigation, alleging that he played a role in coordinating the operation.
Sang has further been linked to the killing of clinical psychologist Victoria Nthunya Mutiso, who was shot dead in Upper Hill, Nairobi, on July 29, 2026.
According to the DCI, Sang allegedly coordinated the operation in collaboration with a suspect who is already in police custody. The inspector is currently at large, prompting detectives to intensify efforts to track him down.
"Detectives have also established that Inspector Kenneth Sang, who is currently at large, 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, who was fatally shot on the morning of July 29 2026, in Upper Hill, Nairobi," DCI said.
The police officer arrested in connection with Mbobu's murder remains in custody as detectives finalise investigations before presenting him in court.
The DCI said investigations into the two murders are still ongoing, with detectives following additional leads as they seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the killings, including how they were planned and carried out and the motive behind them.
