NAIROBI, Kenya- Detectives investigating the murder of lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu have recovered the motorcycle used to transport the suspected gunman to and from the scene of the shooting.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said motorcycle registration number KMGL 516L was traced through several owners before being recovered and taken to the Homicide Directorate for forensic examination.
The recovery followed the interrogation of boda boda rider Nicholas Lemiso Naula, one of three suspects arrested over the September 9, 2025 killing.
According to the DCI, Naula told investigators that he was riding the motorcycle on the day Mbobu was shot along Magadi Road in Nairobi.
Detectives then began tracing the motorcycle’s movements and ownership history. The trail passed through a succession of owners before investigators located the machine.
The DCI said Naula subsequently identified it as the motorcycle he allegedly used to transport the suspected gunman during the attack.
Three suspects in custody
Naula was arrested in Nairobi’s Central Business District during an intelligence-led operation targeting people suspected of involvement in the murder.
He is accused of transporting Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot to and from the scene.
Cheruiyot, the first suspect to be arrested, is alleged by detectives to have been the gunman.
Investigators said they recovered a Ceska pistol that had been issued to him at the time of the shooting.
The DCI said ballistic examination linked the police-issued firearm to Mbobu’s killing.
Boda boda rider Noah Kipkirui Langat is the third suspect in custody. Detectives accuse him of conducting surveillance on Mbobu before the fatal attack.
Langat was arrested hours after Cheruiyot and Naula were taken into custody.
Investigators are examining whether the two motorcycles allegedly used to monitor Mbobu and transport the suspected gunman formed part of a coordinated operation.
Lawyer shot eight times
Mbobu was driving home from work at about 5.40pm when two men riding a motorcycle accosted him near Brookhouse International School on Magadi Road.
Heavy traffic caused by road construction and diversions had forced him to drive slowly before one of the attackers allegedly opened fire.
The lawyer was shot eight times and died from his injuries. The assailants escaped using a motorcycle.
The DCI has described the shooting as a targeted and carefully planned attack.
The recovery of KMGL 516L adds to the evidence being examined by investigators, including the Ceska pistol, ballistic findings, motorcycle ownership records and information obtained from the suspects.
Hunt for other suspects continues
Detectives have also identified Police Inspector Kenneth Sang, who remains at large, as a person suspected of coordinating the operation.
The DCI said Sang allegedly worked with Rose Mbithe, who is separately in custody in connection with the murder of Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso.
Investigators are examining possible links between the two murder cases.
The DCI said the investigation remained active as officers sought to identify everyone suspected of planning, financing, facilitating or carrying out Mbobu’s murder.
Detectives are expected to subject the recovered motorcycle to further forensic examination as they reconstruct the movements of the suspects before, during and after the shooting.
