KANU SG George Wainaina Among Key Suspects Arrested in Lawyer Kyalo Mbobu Murder Probe

Nairobi, Kenya – Kenya African National Union (KANU) Secretary General George Wainaina has been arrested as a prime suspect in the brutal murder of Nairobi lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu, who was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on September 9 along Magadi Road.

Police confirmed that Wainaina, alongside two close associates of the slain advocate, was taken into custody on Thursday after investigators established that the trio had shared a lunch meeting with Mbobu just hours before his assassination.

Wainaina’s lawyer, Maulid Musa, said his client was picked up as a “person of interest” and briefly held at Kileleshwa Police Station before being taken to hospital for treatment. He confirmed that cash was seized during the arrest but maintained it was legitimate income. “There is an active homicide investigation going on, but my client maintains his innocence. He was arrested at his home, and the money recovered belongs to him lawfully,” Musa told reporters.

According to police sources, the suspects are being interrogated separately at Kilimani, Capitol Hill, and Kileleshwa police stations. Investigators believe the trio could provide leads to the gunman and motorcycle rider who executed the killing before fleeing the scene.

Authorities say part of the probe involved bringing in money counting machines to tally large sums of cash seized during searches. While investigators remain guarded on details, they suspect Mbobu may have been killed over a financial dispute with some of those he had been associating with.

Mbobu was ambushed as he drove home on Tuesday evening. A gunman on a motorcycle fired at least eight rounds into his vehicle, striking him in the neck and chest and fatally damaging his spine. He died on the spot. The assailants sped off, shooting into the air to disperse onlookers.

Police are still searching for the murder weapon and the killers, even as more individuals believed to be Mbobu’s clients are being questioned.

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Mulele Ingonga on Thursday directed the Inspector General of Police to expedite the probe and furnish his office with a comprehensive report within seven days. He described the lawyer’s death as a “tragic and senseless killing” and urged the public to volunteer any information that could aid the investigation.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, while speaking in Migori during a security forum, also condemned the killing, likening it to the assassination of former Embakasi MP Mugabe Were. He revealed that several persons of interest had already been identified.

“This is a terrible thing to happen in our country. We do not know the motive yet, but I am in constant consultation with the DCI. The truth must come out, and justice must be served—not just for prominent figures but for every Kenyan,” Murkomen said, urging witnesses to cooperate with investigators.

The killing of Mbobu, a seasoned lawyer embroiled in high-stakes legal disputes, has rattled the legal fraternity and sparked renewed concerns about the rising spate of contract-style killings in Nairobi.

As detectives widen their probe, the arrest of KANU’s Secretary General has thrust the case into the political limelight, with the party yet to issue an official statement.