2025 will be remembered in Kenya not only for political fights and policy battles, but for a chilling spate of targeted killings that left the nation asking the same heavy question: who ordered these hits, and why are so many cases still unresolved?

The country witnessed some of the most daring assassinations, not only targeting politicians but also lawyers and the clergy.

Also Watch: Amason Kingi calls for swift investigation into Kyalo Mbobu’s killing.

Two of the most shocking deaths this year, the April assassination of Kasipul Constituency Member of Parliament (MP) Charles Ong’ondo Were, and the killing of senior advocate Mathew Kyalo Mbobu, became shorthand for a wider pattern: well-planned, motorcycle-backed drive-by shootings that have punctured public confidence in the ability of the state to protect citizens and deliver timely justice.

Charles Ong’ondo Were’s assassination

In the case of the late Ong’ondo Were, police described a targeted and premeditated attack in which a motorbike trailed the MP’s vehicle and a gunman disembarked to shoot him at close range at the City Mortuary roundabout on April 30, 2025.

Police in a statement issued hours after the shocking incident said Were was shot dead at around 7:30 pm when his vehicle was stopped at a traffic light on Ngong Road.

According to witnesses, the shooter was riding as a passenger on a motorcycle that stopped alongside the car, police said.

The killing prompted immediate condemnation from national and international bodies and a pledge of a thorough investigation.

Also Watch: Kennedy Ondiek: Ong’ondo was a foot soldier of Gladys Wanga.

A few arrests were made following the incidents, with politician and businessman Philip Aroko implicated in the case. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) summoned Aroko, who later presented himself at Gigiri Police Station, where he was arrested. He was, however, later set free, as there was no evidence that linked him to the incident.

To date, the case has not been solved.

Father Alois Cheruiyot Bett’s killing

That same year, Kenya mourned yet another shocking killing: the murder of Father Alois Cheruiyot Bett, a Catholic priest from St Matthias Mulumba Tot Parish.

He was shot dead in May by suspected bandits in the volatile Tot area of Elgeyo Marakwet while on his way to minister to parishioners.

Father Bett’s killing unsettled the nation, exposing how insecurity in the North Rift, already marked by banditry and cattle raids, had tipped into a crisis where even clergy, traditionally spared from violence, had become targets.

His death triggered outrage from the Catholic Church, local leaders, and human rights groups, who demanded a full crackdown on the armed groups believed to be operating with near-impunity.

However, police have not made any arrests following the incident, and the case remains unsolved.

Lawyer Mathew Kyallo Mbobu’s killing

Mathew Kyalo Mbobu, a respected lawyer and former head of a political parties’ dispute tribunal, was driving home on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, evening when a gunman on a motorcycle pulled alongside his vehicle and opened fire along Magadi Road in Nairobi.

The shooting of Mbobu in broad daylight left many Kenyans in shock, with police also describing the incident as a targeted killing.

The incident occurred at around 5.40 pm as Mbobu was headed home. Reports indicated that he was trailed by two men on motorcycles who opened fire on his vehicle before fleeing the scene.

An autopsy on his body showed he was shot eight times, which led to his death.

His death sparked outrage, with leaders such as Wiper Patriotic Front party leader Kalonzo Musyoka condemning what he described as a rising culture of violence and intimidation against professionals in Kenya.

Kalonzo, in a statement shared via his official X account on Friday, September 12, 2025, addressed the tragic death of advocate Mathew Kyalo Mbobu and urged for justice.

“Today, I joined my colleagues in the legal fraternity during the Law Society of Kenya Purple Ribbon March,” Kalonzo said.

Despite the concerns raised by the leaders, the city lawyer’s murder has also remained unresolved, with no arrests made so far.