The Anchor

By Anchor Writers

Mua Hills, Machakos — In a remarkable breach of State protocol, First Lady Rachel Ruto stunned mourners at the burial of slain city lawyer Kyalo Mbobu by riding inside the hearse that ferried the lawyer’s body from Lee Funeral Home to his rural home in Mua Hills — seated alongside the widow Mwende Kyalo.

According to multiple sources at the scene, Mrs. Ruto firmly put off efforts by her security detail and protocol officers to dissuade her from boarding the hearse.

Instead, she brushed off several polite invitations to switch to her own official vehicle. Her decision left the presidential security detail scrambling, clearly caught off-guard and forced to contend with a situation that appeared to imperil her security.
Her security detail had braved her week-long, daily visitations to Mbobu’s home in Karen, during which she condoled with the family and visiting mourners.

There had been no screening at Mbobu’s gate as mourners streamed in, giving Mrs. Ruto’s security nightmares. Often, the First Lady was always among the last to leave the home for the entire eight days of mourning.
At the burial, no pictures were allowed, and reporters stationed outside the tightly guarded homestead strained to hear speeches through barely audible public address systems.

The media had already been barred from photographing the burial service itself, just as it had been blocked during Mbobu’s requiem Mass in Nairobi earlier in the week.

Observers at the burial said the First Lady’s choice introduced a new and unexpected twist to the murder mystery that has engulfed the lawyer’s death.

It also symbolised a show of solidarity with Mbobu’s widow, who — according to sources close to State House — has come a long way with the First Lady.
The pair hit it off more than 15 years ago when President Ruto was residing in his Karen home. They were both members of the neighbourhood jogging team, where they forged a strong bond.

So strong was their bond that it survived the trials of August 15, 2022, when Mr. Mbobu, accompanied b his neighbours, former Minister Raphael Tuju & former Attorney General Amos Wako, attempted to overturn Ruto’s victory.
When President Ruto moved to State House, Rachel moved in with Mwende as the house on the hill’s facility manager, drawing on her strength in outdoor aesthetics and landscaping.
Pain and Fury at Burial
Mr. Mbobu was finally laid to rest in Mua Hills, Machakos County, on Wednesday amid growing calls for justice. His burial was marked by raw emotion, intense security, and politicians’ pleas for a speedy investigation.
The ceremony — off-limits to cameras save for a few accredited family photographers — featured a service conducted by Machakos Catholic Diocese Bishop Norman King’oo.

Speeches by dignitaries focused on demanding justice, decrying a climate of insecurity and warning of the impunity emboldening assassins.
Mbobu’s widow Anne Mwende, visibly shaken, said the family was still grappling with the violent killing. “We can not understand what happened,” she told mourners. “We thank everyone who has stood with us as a family, and we call on God to carry us through.”
Investigation Under Scrutiny
The first team investigating Mbobu’s murder had been accused of bungling the case.

CCTV footage at Town House, where Mbobu had an office, went uncollected for days, allowing key suspects to slip away. Detectives finally visited the site last week but had to chase leads that turned out to be false.
Former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko and Makueni governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. both demanded that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) act decisively. “We are not saying boda boda operators are criminals. But we have witnessed numerous cases where serious crimes have been executed using motorbikes,” Sonko said.
Police sources confirmed they had now interrogated a long-time office manager of Mbobu who identified a mystery man seen with him in the elevator before his death. “If he had any transaction in the bureau, the police would get his details and get it shut down,” the source said.
Bond Beyond Protocol
Analysts said the First Lady’s bold action at the burial added a deeply human, if politically loaded, dimension to the saga. “In one stroke, she appeared to show both defiance and solidarity — upending the careful choreography that normally shields top State officials from such intimate and potentially risky settings,” one observer noted.
Her gesture also raises questions about the depth of the connection between Mbobu’s family and the State House inner circle.

As one senior government source, put it: “It was unprecedented. The symbolism of her riding with the widow will reverberate far beyond Mua Hills.”

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