“Cursed, may the killers never have peace in the remainder of their wretched lives”

BY ERIC ABUGA

The cold-blooded killing of lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu Tuesday evening, as he drove home along Langata Road from work, has left many Kenyans particularly those from the legal fraternity devastated and in deep shock.

Police said Mbobu was driving home shortly after 7:30 pm when an assailant riding on a motorcycle pulled alongside his vehicle and opened fire before speeding away.

Police recovered several spent cartridges from the scene and towed the lawyer’s vehicle to Lang’ata Police Station as the body was moved to the City Mortuary.

Seante Speaker Amason Kingi says Mbobu was a distinguished advocate of the High Court of Kenya, an outstanding law scholar and a dedicated public servant.

Speaker Kingi says he was honored to be one of his students at the Parklands Campus of the University Nairobi, where he benefited from his intellectual mentorship.

“As the country comes to terms with this chilling incident, we expect the police to carry out speedy and thorough investigations to unearth the reason and culprits behind this heinous crime and ensure justice is served.”

Advocate Peter Wanyama says it will require very tough polices to bring sanity in the motorcycle sector. 

“But who will dare? Is there any assassination that does not involve a motorcycle? They don’t care about traffic rules. They can drive on the wrong side, and you must give way. Otherwise, you will be in trouble especially if you accidentally hit one of them. You will be lucky if your vehicle is not torched.”

He asked; “How do you trace gunmen on motorcycles? CCTV on the roads? Regulation?”

He says it is almost impossible. “Nowadays, you can’t use your phone in the streets of Nairobi; it will be snatched. Motorcycles provide a convenient gateway. The rule is simple- give way to motorcycles. Don’t argue with them; they are above the law. They have overwhelmed the police and the government. It is chaos. Normalized chaos.”

In his message of condolences, Wanyama says the late advocate practiced law in a firm, gentle, and courteous manner.  Many lawyers will remember him as a consummate practitioner, a teacher of law, and a kind human being.

“I noticed the consummate elegance; probably derived from Victorian mannerisms, in 2015 when he led our legal team in the public hearings for the dissolution of Makueni County Government and as a Chairman of the Political Parties Tribunal.”

Lawyer Nelson Hvai said Mbobu taught him Evidence and International Law. “A good man, a wonderful teacher and a civil adversary in Court. Cursed are his killers. May they never have peace in the remainder of their wretched lives.”

Law Society of Kenya President Faith Odhiambo Kyalo Mbobu was a fine practitioner and excellent teacher of law.

“The abhorrent crime that has claimed his life must be dealt with swiftly and conclusively.”

The late Mbobu was Senior Partner at Kyalo and Associates Advocates, specializing in commercial litigation, arbitration and corporate governance.

He chaired Quest Holdings Ltd and Core Capital Group Ltd, served as a Board Member of the Institute of Directors (IOD) Kenya and Chairman of the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal, and a Trustee of Corat Africa.

He was also teaching at the University of Nairobi School of Law and the Kenya School of Law.

He held a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) with Honours and a Master of Laws (LL.M) from Georgetown University.