Lack of CCTV footage slows probe into lawyer Kyalo Mbobu’s murder

The absence of surveillance cameras along Magadi Road has slowed efforts to apprehend those responsible for the killing of lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has revealed that the footage detectives relied on in other high-profile murders is missing in this case, leaving investigators with limited leads.

Speaking on Sunday, Murkomen condemned the murder and drew a comparison with the case of slain Kasipul MP Ongondo Were, where CCTV footage captured suspects trailing him.

“It is not easy because the area where this incident happened had no CCTV cameras,” he said.

Mbobu was shot eight times by unidentified gunmen who later escaped on a motorcycle. Nearly a week after the killing, no arrests have been made.

Despite the challenges, Murkomen said detectives were exploring other possible leads.

“Because he is a lawyer, of course, the first thing that comes to mind is whether someone was exerting revenge or attacking him by virtue of his professional duties. DCI has interviewed colleagues, family members and is reviewing various information,” he explained.

A fresh team of investigators from the Homicide Unit of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has since taken over the probe. At the same time, three individuals who had been arrested in connection with the murder—George Wainaina, a KANU official, his relative Paul Mbugua, and Eric Gichuhi, a friend of the lawyer—were freed on Saturday night after investigators cleared them of involvement. The three had been in custody since Thursday.

Their lawyer, Maulid Bare Musa, criticised the arrests, terming them ‘malicious and unjustified’.

“We wish to make it clear that the forensic phone analysis, the ballistic examination of the firearm, and the alibis independently verified have all conclusively exonerated the three individuals. The arrest and detention of the three was malicious, unjustified, and a reckless abuse of police powers,” he said.

Wainaina expressed shock at the police decision to detain him, describing the arrest as humiliating and poorly handled in front of his family.

“I just wonder why they decided to arrest us in a very embarrassing manner in front of our families without properly doing their investigations,” he said.

He also revealed that detectives stormed his Karen home and seized Sh50 million from a safe, which his lawyer is now following up on.

He also added that investigators pressured him to disclose his business dealings with Mbobu.

“They pressured me and demanded to know what kind of business I was doing with the lawyer. I just informed them I had never engaged with him,” he said, noting that he was also asked to name people who might have been in business with the late lawyer.

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The three men explained the circumstances of their meeting with Mbobu. Wainaina said he met the lawyer, who was in the company of Gichuhi, at the Sagret Hotel in Nairobi, where he had gone to see his employee. Gichuhi said he had met Mbobu for lunch, adding that they had studied at the University of Nairobi together and were neighbours in Karen. Mbugua said he did not know Mbobu and had only gone to the hotel to meet his boss.

Investigators familiar with the case said the probe is now centred on the legal matters and business deals Mbobu was handling at the time of his death.

A memorial service for the late lawyer will be held on Monday at All Saints Cathedral, ahead of his burial on Wednesday, September 17, at his family home in Mua.