A prominent Nairobi lawyer, Mathew Kyalo Mbobu, was on Tuesday evening shot dead in a brazen drive-by attack near Galleria Mall in Karen South, Nairobi.
According to police reports, the 54-year-old advocate was driving along the Galleria-Brookhouse stretch towards Ongata Rongai when a gunman on a motorcycle pulled alongside his vehicle and opened fire at around 5:40 pm.
Eyewitnesses said the attacker sped off immediately after the shooting, leaving motorists in panic and the busy road in chaos.
Traffic on the 1st Drift bypass came to a standstill as police cordoned off the scene, urging drivers to seek alternative routes.
Mbobu was a distinguished figure in Kenya’s legal and governance circles.
The Institute of Directors Kenya described him as “a highly respected practitioner and governance expert” with more than 29 years’ experience as an Advocate of the High Court.
He was Senior Partner at Kyalo & Associates Advocates, where he specialised in commercial litigation, arbitration and corporate governance.
His career extended well beyond the courtroom. Mbobu chaired Quest Holdings Ltd and Core Capital Group Ltd, where he oversaw strategic leadership in the private sector.
He previously served as Chairperson of the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal and sat on the board of the Institute of Directors Kenya. He was also a trustee of Corat Africa, contributing to faith-based governance and leadership initiatives.
In academia, Mbobu lectured at the University of Nairobi School of Law and the Kenya School of Law. He held a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Nairobi and a Master of Laws from Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a Certified Public Secretary of Kenya, his expertise was recognised internationally.
Police have launched investigations into the killing, which has raised alarm over rising insecurity in Nairobi’s leafy suburbs.
