The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Kenya has announced a significant breakthrough in the murder investigation of prominent lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu. A serving police officer, identified as Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot, has been arrested on suspicion of being the gunman who fatally shot Mbobu along Magadi Road more than a year ago. According to the DCI, Cheruiyot was identified following an intensive investigation into Mbobu's killing on September 9, 2025.
The DCI statement, dated September 24, 2026, reveals that investigators recovered a Ceska pistol that had allegedly been issued to Cheruiyot at the time of the killing. Subsequent ballistic examination linked the firearm to the shooting that killed Mbobu. The allegations against Cheruiyot have not yet been tested at trial, and the officer remains in custody undergoing processing ahead of arraignment. This development represents a significant turn in a murder that has remained under intense public scrutiny for over a year.
The investigation into Mbobu's killing had earlier been linked to another high-profile murder, that of Dr. Victoria Nthunya Mutiso, who was fatally shot on July 29, 2026, in Nairobi's Upper Hill area. The DCI has introduced another serving police officer, Inspector Kenneth Sang, as a suspect who is currently at large. According to the agency, detectives allege that Sang coordinated the operation in liaison with Rose Mbithe, who is already in police custody in connection with Mutiso's murder.
The connection between the two investigations deepens with the mention of Rose Mbithe, the former wife of Prof David Musyimi Ndetei, Dr. Mutiso's husband. Investigators have been examining a complicated background involving a long-running matrimonial property dispute and litigation. Mbobu had acted as an advocate for Ndetei in aspects of the legal disputes. The DCI had already acknowledged in August that detectives were examining whether suspects involved in Mutiso's murder could have links to Mbobu's killing.
Mbobu's assassination sent shockwaves through Kenya's legal community, with the prominent advocate and former University of Nairobi lecturer being shot dead while driving home from work. The killing appeared targeted from the outset, and Parliamentary records show investigators retrieved CCTV footage from locations including the area around Mbobu's office and Brookhouse International School while interviewing members of staff and other witnesses.
As the first anniversary of Mbobu's death approached, his family continued demanding answers. At a memorial held on September 9, 2026, relatives and friends gathered at the family's Mua Hills home, with family members urging investigative agencies to establish who was behind the killing and what motivated it. The family's attention had also increasingly turned toward developments in the Mutiso investigation as speculation grew that the two murders could be connected.
Despite the arrest of Police Constable Cheruiyot, the Mbobu investigation is far from over. The DCI says detectives are pursuing additional leads to establish the full circumstances, motive, planning, and execution of the murder. The agency is seeking to establish whether other people participated in planning, facilitating, or commissioning the killing, and it has promised to pursue suspects.
Key points
- A serving police officer, Julius Cheruiyot, has been arrested in connection with the murder of lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu.
- The investigation has linked Mbobu's murder to that of Dr. Victoria Nthunya Mutiso, with evidence pointing to a possible connection between the suspects.
- The DCI is pursuing additional leads to establish the full circumstances, motive, planning, and execution of the murder.
