NAIROBI, Kenya – The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has announced a nationwide Purple Ribbon March on Friday, September 12, to protest against rising violence targeting members of the legal profession.
The march comes in the wake of the assassination of veteran lawyer Kyalo Mbobu, who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting along Nairobi’s Magadi Road on Tuesday evening.
LSK President Faith Odhiambo said the peaceful procession will begin at 9:00 am at the Milimani Law Courts, before heading through Kenyatta Avenue to Vigilance House, where a memorandum will be presented to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.
“In collaboration with the Branch Caucus, the Purple Ribbon March will also be observed across all our eight LSK Branches countrywide,” Odhiambo said in a Wednesday statement, urging members to don purple ribbons in solidarity.
Call for swift justice
The society called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to fast-track investigations, warning that continued attacks on lawyers threaten the rule of law.
“Our security agencies have an immediate duty to act decisively in putting an end to this growing menace. Such calamitous levels of insecurity place our country at the precipice of lawlessness,” Odhiambo said.
She added that the procession would demand justice for Mbobu and signal zero tolerance for intimidation or violence against legal practitioners.
“Too often, advocates have been victimized and targeted for the work they do. This incident represents a damning test to the administration of justice,” LSK said.
A veteran targeted
According to police, Mbobu — who had more than 30 years of legal practice — was attacked at around 5:40 pm by gunmen on a motorbike who shot him in the head before fleeing.
The Senior Counsel Bar (SCB), led by Philip Murgor, described the killing as the work of a “well-trained assassin.”
The group also questioned whether the murder was linked to a long-standing land dispute in which Mbobu had previously acted as counsel.
On the same day as the attack, Captain (Rtd) Kung’u Muigai — a cousin of former President Uhuru Kenyatta — posted online about a decades-old case involving a disputed 443-acre Thika farm.
Muigai accused judges of bias and bribery after filing over 20 unsuccessful petitions since the 1990s.
The Judiciary swiftly dismissed Muigai’s claims, terming them baseless.
DCI steps in
The DCI confirmed it has deployed “all available resources and expertise” to track down Mbobu’s killers.
“Our investigators are working diligently to piece together the events surrounding this incident. The perpetrators of this heinous act will be brought to justice,” the agency said.
Mbobu’s killing has rattled the legal fraternity, with Friday’s Purple Ribbon March expected to draw hundreds of lawyers in Nairobi and across LSK branches nationwide.
