NAIROBI, Kenya — Prominent city lawyer and governance expert Mathew Kyalo Mbobu was shot dead Tuesday evening in a targeted drive-by attack near Galleria Mall in Karen South, Nairobi.
According to police and eyewitness accounts, a gunman on a motorcycle pulled alongside Mbobu’s Toyota Land Cruiser V8 and opened fire before speeding away.
The assailant shattered the windshield and shot him at least three times at close range. Mbobu died instantly.
The attack, which unfolded around 7:30 p.m., caused heavy traffic snarl-ups along the Galleria–Brookhouse stretch of Lang’ata Road as police cordoned off the scene.
Celebrated legal and governance expert
Mbobu, a Senior Partner at Kyalo & Associates Advocates, was widely regarded as one of Kenya’s most respected legal minds.
With over 29 years of practice, he specialized in commercial litigation, arbitration and corporate governance.
He previously chaired the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal (PPDT), guiding it through the turbulent run-up to the 2022 General Election.
He also served as a Board Member at the Institute of Directors (IOD) Kenya, a Trustee of Corat Africa, and chaired Quest Holdings Ltd and Core Capital Group Ltd.
Beyond the legal and corporate world, Mbobu was a respected academic, lecturing at the University of Nairobi School of Law, the Kenya School of Law, and Multimedia University.
He held an LL.B (Hons.) from the University of Nairobi and an LL.M from Georgetown University, alongside credentials as a Certified Public Secretary and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
Police have launched investigations into the shooting, which bears similarities to previous assassinations carried out by motorcycle gunmen in Nairobi.
As the legal fraternity mourns, questions are mounting over who ordered the hit and whether the killing was linked to Mbobu’s high-profile professional roles.
