Over 15 quizzed as detectives camp in slain lawyer Mbobu’s office for clues

Lawyer Mathew Mbobu /FILE

Detectives have camped at the office of slain lawyer Mathew Mbobu for clues to the motive for his assassination.

The Homicide Unit team yesterday said they believe the office holds documents that could be key to the investigation.

They sifted through troves of papers in the presence of his staff. The detectives said they had crucial clues that they were pursuing for a possible arrest.

The motive is yet to be established for the drive-by murder of Mbobu on the evening of September 9 in Nairobi.

Detectives have also interrogated more than 15 people, including those me met at a restaurant along Jakaya Kikwete Road shortly before he was shot dead as he as heading home.

Others include his staff members, colleagues, boda boda operators at the scene of the shooting and employees of banks where he did business.

The team wants to know if any of his account transactions could have led to his killing.

Mbobu’s family has scheduled the burial on tomorrow at his Mua home in Machakos County.

A memorial service was held yesterday at St John’s Catholic Church in Karen.

Police say lack of working CCTV along Lang’ata Road and Magadi Road where the lawyer was killed are partly to blame for the delay in arresting the killers.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen when expressed optimism, however, saying investigators have gathered valuable leads from people close to the lawyer.

“Because he is a lawyer, of course, the first thing that comes to mind is whether someone was exerting revenge or attacking him by virtue of his professional duties,” the CS said.

“The DCI has interviewed colleagues, family members and is reviewing various information.”

He linked delays in apprehending suspects to the absence of CCTV cameras along Magadi Road.

Murkomen said that, unlike in the case of slain Kasipul MP Charles Were, in which CCTV footage captured suspects trailing him, detectives have found little to work with in Mbobu’s case.

“It is not easy because the area where this incident happened had no CCTV cameras,” he said. Three individuals who had been held as persons of interest in the murder were released on Saturday night.

The team went back to the drawing board. The murder weapon has yet to be found.

Some of the slain lawyer’s clients have recorded statements and explained the nature of their working relationships.

Mbobu, a former chairman of the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal, was shot at least eight times at close range.

He was driving home along Magadi Road in Nairobi when a gunman on a motorcycle struck. He shot the lawyer in the neck and chest, fracturing his spine. He bled to death.

The gunman, who had a rider, jumped back on the motorcycle and sped off while shooting into the air to frighten bystanders.

The team is also scrutinising surveillance footage from different spots to establish if Mbobu was trailed. He had arrived at his office earlier in the day and went for morning prayers at the Holy Family Basilica before he returned to the office.

He arrived at Sagret Hotel restaurant at 11.05 am, when he held a three-hour lunch meeting with several individuals now being treated as persons of interest.

He left at about 1.45 pm after paying a bill of Sh3,800. The detectives are also relying on his mobile phone records to establish whom he talked to before, during and after the meeting. Later that day, at 5.09 pm, Mbobu left his office and headed home.

Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga has directed the Inspector General of Police to fast-track investigations and submit a comprehensive status update within seven days for review and action.

“The ODPP echoes the DCI's appeal for members of the public with any relevant information to come forward and share it with law enforcement agencies without delay,” he said.