The Milimani Chief Magistrate's Court in Nairobi has ordered four suspects connected to the killing of lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu to be held in police custody for 15 days. The suspects, who include two police officers, Julias Cheruiyot and Kennedy Kipkemei, and two civilians, Nicholas Naula Lemiso and Noah Kipkurui Langat, were arrested on September 24, 2026, during an intelligence-led operation.
According to the investigating officer's report, Cheruiyot is suspected to have pulled the trigger that killed Mbobu, while Kipkemei participated in planning and coordinating the attack. Lemiso was the rider of the getaway motorbike, while Kipkurui trailed them, providing surveillance. The suspects were presented in court on September 25, 2026, where Chief Magistrate Gethi Kibiru issued the detention order.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had sought 30 days in custody, but the court ultimately settled on a 15-day period. The case is set for mention on October 9, 2026. During the operation, detectives recovered a firearm, a motorcycle, and mobile phones from the suspects. Ballistic analysis linked the recovered firearm to cartridge cases and bullet heads recovered from Mbobu's vehicle and during his postmortem examination.
The firearm, the court heard, had been issued to Cheruiyot, a serving police officer attached to Pangani Police Station. The prosecution alleges that Cheruiyot carried out the shooting, while Lemiso ferried him to and from the scene. Langat is accused of acting as a surveillance operative, and Kipkemei is alleged to have been involved in planning and coordinating the killing.
Detectives analysed CCTV footage, geolocation data, and call-data records to reconstruct Mbobu's movements before his death. The prosecution argued against releasing the suspects, warning that they could interfere with witnesses, and noted that both Cheruiyot and Kipkemei are police officers. The court also heard that the investigation is connected to the separate killing of Dr. Victoria Nthunya Mutiso.
The DCI revealed that Mbobu had been representing the family of Professor David Musyimi Ndetei in a property dispute before the Machakos Law Courts, which investigators consider a possible motive for his murder. Mbobu was shot dead on September 9, 2025, at approximately 6 pm while driving near Brookhouse International School. A postmortem conducted by Chief Government Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor found that he sustained multiple bullet wounds.
The four suspects contested the application for 30 days, with the fourth suspect arguing that investigators had already had a full year to build their case. The suspects were remanded to Gigiri, Parklands, Kibera, and Muthangari police stations respectively. The investigation is ongoing, with Inspector Patrick Wachira of the DCI Homicide Investigations Bureau telling the court that detectives had made significant progress but were still pursuing additional suspects and processing physical evidence.
Key points
- The suspects were remanded in police custody for 15 days.
- The murder is linked to a property dispute case.
- The suspects include two police officers and two civilians.
