Three suspects cleared in lawyer Kyalo Mbobu murder probe

Lawyer Kyalo Mbobu, pictured, with the car he was driving when he was shot dead on Magadi Road, Nairobi, on Tuesday, September 9, 2025. [File, Standard]

Three suspects arrested in connection with the killing of prominent Nairobi lawyer Kyalo Mbobu have been released after forensic, ballistic and alibi checks cleared them of any involvement, their lawyer has said.

Eric Muhia, Paul Mbugua and Georgia Wainaina were freed from custody at 9 p.m. on Saturday, September 13.

Police had linked them to the September 9 shooting before completing investigations.

Mbobu, a former chair of the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, was gunned down on Magadi Road as he drove to his Karen home on September 9.

Police said two men on a motorcycle trailed his car before one approached on foot and shot him several times through the driver's window.

Nothing was stolen from the scene, and detectives have described the attack as targeted.

The 55yearold lawyer had built a highprofile career in commercial litigation but was facing multiple debtrelated court cases at the time of his death.

Days after the killing, police arrested Muhia, Mbugua and Wainaina as persons of interest.

They were held while detectives conducted forensic phone analysis, ballistic tests on a recovered firearm and checked their alibis.

Lead defence lawyer Musa Maulid accused police of acting maliciously and abusing their powers.

"The arrest and detention of Eric Muhia, Paul Mbugua and Georgia Wainaina was malicious, unjustified and a reckless abuse of police powers," said Maulid.

"It is regrettable that the police dragged the names of honest, lawabiding citizens through the mud before conducting proper investigations," he added.

Maulid explained that the forensic and ballistic tests, along with independently verified alibi,s had all cleared the three.

"These findings confirm what has been true from the very beginning: they had no involvement in this crime," he observed.