The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has linked Rose Mbithe to the murder of lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu, who was fatally shot along Magadi Road, Nairobi, on September 9, 2025.
In a statement issued on Thursday, September 24, 2026, the DCI said Inspector Kenneth Sang, who is currently at large, allegedly coordinated the operation in liaison with Mbithe.
Mbithe is already in police custody over the murder of Dr Victoria Nthunya Mutiso, who was fatally shot in Upper Hill on July 29, 2026. The DCI said Mutiso’s killing and Mbobu’s murder are now part of investigations involving Mbithe and Sang.
The latest development comes against the backdrop of a long-running dispute between Mbithe and Mbobu dating back more than two decades. Mbobu had represented Mbithe’s former husband, psychiatrist Professor David Musyimi Ndetei, in divorce and matrimonial property proceedings. In 2005, the High Court entered judgment against Mbithe in a defamation case filed by Mbobu and awarded the lawyer Sh1.5 million in general and aggravated damages.
The dispute over matrimonial property subsequently involved land in the Mlolongo/Athi River area. Dr Mutiso, who was later married to Ndetei, was also involved in the property dispute that investigators are now examining in connection with her murder.
Mbithe is facing the Mutiso murder case alongside her children, advocate Angela Mulwa and Chris Mulwa, and Police Constable Elijah Kibelion Kimoi, while Kimutai Maritim has also been approved for a murder charge. Sang remains at large. The accused in the Mutiso case are expected to take plea before the High Court in Nairobi on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, following earlier postponements and psychiatric assessments.
Meanwhile, the DCI has arrested Police Constable Julius Cheruiyot over Mbobu’s killing, identifying him as the suspected gunman. Detectives recovered a Ceska pistol that had been issued to Cheruiyot at the time of the shooting. Ballistic examination confirmed that the firearm was used in the killing, which the DCI described as a significant forensic breakthrough.
The DCI said Mbobu was shot while driving home from work along Magadi Road and that investigations are continuing to establish the motive, planning and execution of the murder. Cheruiyot remains in custody pending arraignment, while detectives continue pursuing other people suspected to have participated in the killing.
