The Law Society of Kenya has condemned the killing of Lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu who was on Tuesday evening shot dead along Magadi Road in Nairobi, in what detectives say appears to have been a targeted killing.
LSK president Faith Odhiambo condoled with the family and friends of the City Lawyer, saying it is an unfortunate occurrence and a sad day for the legal profession and for the entire country.
“The legal profession mourns a distinguished member of dedicated service and demonstrable legal excellence. Through his expansive practice and devout service, Mbobu made instrumental contributions to the legal and governance space in Kenya,” she said.
“We fondly honour Mbobu for his efforts in molding future generations of legal practitioners as a Lecturer at the University of Nairobi. We applaud the scholarly contributions he left us with through his texts, which will continue to guide us in our practice, especially in the law of evidence.”
The LSK boss said his service to the country through his tenure as the Chairman of the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal leaves an indelible mark on his legacy.
She added that, as the country makes sense of life without the legal giant, the legal profession stands petrified at the dire state of safety for Advocates.
“While we await preliminary reports on the identity of the perpetrator and the motive, we are apprehensive that this has all the markings of a pre-determined assassination. Too often, Advocates have been victimized and targeted for the work that they do,” she said.
She condemned the incident, saying this and other acts of violence, intimidation, and retribution against Advocates of the High Court of Kenya represent a damning test to the administration of Justice.
Faith said the effective discharge of the constitutional functions of Advocates requires an environment that facilitates autonomy to work without fear of persecution.
“We decry this detestable act, and demand that the perpetrators be hunted down and brought to book. We call upon the Directorate of Criminal Investigations to commence immediate, all-hands-on-deck investigations to identify, locate, apprehend, and prosecute the perpetrators of this crime,” she added.
The incident occurred at around 5.40 pm as Mbobu was headed home.
According to police, he was trailed by two men on motorcycles who opened fire on his vehicle before fleeing the scene.
Reports on how many times he was shot remain conflicting, though police confirmed he was hit multiple times.
Following the shooting, detectives processed the scene and moved his body to the Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi.
His vehicle was later towed to Lang’ata Police Station as investigations got underway.
Police have not yet established the motive behind the shooting or identified the gunmen. However, a detective involved in the case said the team is treating the incident as a targeted killing.
