Shock as Lawyer and Scholar Kyalo Mbobu Shot Dead
The sad demise was remembered by leaders, peers, and pupils, recalling his decades of practice as both attorney and academic patron.
The sad demise was remembered by leaders, peers, and pupils, recalling his decades of practice as both attorney and academic patron.Photo/Courtesy
By Juliet Jerotich
Kenya’s justice community has been stunned to grief after the murder of veteran lawyer and academic Mathew Kyalo Mbobu. The seasoned lawyer was waylaid and killed in Nairobi on Tuesday night in a daylight drive-by shooting.
Police records indicate that Mbobu was driving home from office when a rogue gunman fired bullets into his vehicle before flying off on a motorbike. The gruesome act sent shockwaves across the nation and triggered outrage throughout the legal community and beyond.
The sad demise was remembered by leaders, peers, and pupils, recalling his decades of practice as both attorney and academic patron.
The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) issued a strong denouncement of the act. The Society President Faith Odhiambo referred to the murder as abhorrent and urged for swift investigations to locate the perpetrators and bring them to book.
“Kyalo Mbobu was a very good lawyer and an excellent instructor of the law. His life was brutally cut short in a senseless crime that must be dealt with once and for all and with all haste,” she added.
LSK further stated that human rights defenders also continue to receive targeted intimidation due to their activities. Society further stated that the killing of Mbobu bore the hallmark of an organized attack, and the acts deter efforts to pursue justice in the country.
“This is a call to the justice system in the court of first instance. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has to act with urgency to see justice is delivered,” the statement stated.
Mr. Mbobu was a veteran lawyer for more than 30 years and was renowned as an expert on the law of evidence. He was also a lecturer at the University of Nairobi where he guided numerous lawyers. He was also chairman of the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal and had a productive legacy in practice as well as academics.
Among them was Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, who had been Mbobu’s student at Parklands Campus. Kingi called him a brilliant lawyer and dedicated public servant.
“Wakili Mbobu was an excellent advocate and mentor. I was lucky to be among his students, and his intellectual leadership led many of us,” he added.
Kingi appealed to the security organs to pursue the attackers with unwavering energy and deliver justice. He also extended his condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Mbobu, praying for strength and consolation during this period of despair.
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