Journalists were on Tuesday denied access to the requiem mass of slain lawyer Kyalo Mbobu, further deepening the mystery surrounding his untimely death.

Given the public interest sparked by the circumstances of his demise, the memorial service at St. John Catholic Church in Karen was widely expected to be a solemn, public farewell for the former chairman of the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.

However, the ceremony took a different turn, becoming a highly restricted event. Stewards stationed at the church entrance turned away members of the media, citing “family instructions.”

They stated that the family had requested complete privacy, expressing a desire to mourn their loved one away from the public eye.

“There’s no media coverage. The family has declined. The directions we have been given is that the mass will be a private affair,” one of the stewards told The Standard reporters who were preparing to set up just moments before the mass begun.

More surprising, even the State House press team attached to the First Lady, Rachel Ruto, were barred from rolling their cameras.

Other journalists and media teams of leaders including that of Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka who attended the event, left after attempts to convince protocols proved futile.

Mbobu was gunned down on the evening of September 9, along Magadi Road, Nairobi, by assailants on a motorbike who fired at his head before speeding off.

An autopsy conducted on his body revealed that he was shot eight times in the attack, and summed to the fatal injuries to the neck and spine led to excessive internal bleeding.

Two bullets were recovered from his body, one of them lodged in his spine.

Questions have, however, emerged on the motive behind the gruesome murder even as the police launched investigations to unravel the mystery.

So far, investigators have narrowed down to two possible theories behind the killing of the Nairobi lawyer; either over a deal gone sour or in connection with his legal work.

Tuesday’s events only added to the intrigue as questions now mount on what the family could be concealing regarding the murder in guise of “privacy” in mourning.

The lawyer will be buried tomorrow, Wednesday September 17, at his home in Mua, Machakos County.