Interior Principal Secretary Dr. Raymond Omollo has confirmed that investigators have identified prime suspects linked to the assassination of Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were. The probe remains active, with law enforcement promising swift justice for the slain legislator.
Addressing residents during a visit to Rangwe Constituency on Saturday, Dr. Omollo assured the public that the government is committed to delivering justice and bringing all those involved to book.
“We lost one of our elected representatives, MP Charles Ong’ondo Were, under very tragic circumstances,” Dr. Omollo stated. “The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has now narrowed down individuals believed to have pulled the trigger. We are making progress, and justice will be served.”
He emphasized that the identified suspects—and anyone who worked with them—would face legal consequences. “In due course, those suspects and their accomplices will face the full force of the law,” he affirmed.
Just a day later, on Sunday morning, DCI detectives confirmed the arrest of four suspects in Nairobi. The operation conducted in Nairobi’s Eastlands area on Saturday night also led to the recovery of a vehicle and three motorcycles believed to have been used to trail the late legislator before he was gunned down.
“Investigators have also recovered crucial evidence linked to the crime, as well as to the perpetrators. Additionally, some of the suspects arrested are members of organised criminal gangs, such as “Mjahidin”, which has been linked to armed robberies in the Eastlands area of Nairobi,” the National Police Service (NPS) said in a statement.
CCTV Footage Leads to Arrest
According to investigators, a key suspect was tracked using CCTV footage, which placed him at various points that MP Were traveled through on the evening of the murder. The vehicle was spotted near strategic city locations such as Parliament Buildings, City Hall Way, Wabera Street, Kenyatta Avenue, Jakaya Kikwete Road, Argwings Kodhek Road, and Valley Road.
DCI Director Mohamed Amin confirmed the arrest and said the search for additional suspects is underway. “We have one key suspect in custody, and we’re pursuing more individuals linked to the killing,” he said.
MP Charles Ong’ondo Were was gunned down on the night of Wednesday, April 30, while seated in his Toyota Crown at a traffic light near the City Mortuary roundabout on Ngong Road. The lawmaker was in the passenger seat when a lone gunman approached and fired four shots at close range before fleeing on foot. Medics at Nairobi Hospital later pronounced him dead on arrival.
Earlier that evening, Were had left Parliament at around 7 p.m. accompanied by his driver and bodyguard. CCTV shows they made a brief stop along Wabera Street, where his bodyguard entered an M-Pesa shop to deposit Ksh20,000 into the MP’s phone.
While they waited, surveillance cameras captured a hooded man with a bag closely observing the vehicle. Shortly afterward, the MP’s car resumed its journey, diverting to Ralph Bunche Road and then Argwings Kodhek Road to avoid traffic.
As they reached Valley Road, the suspect—riding a sports bike—trailed the car, got off, walked up to it, and executed the assassination before disappearing into the night.
An autopsy led by Chief Government Pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor is scheduled for Monday, May 5, to determine the exact cause of death and possibly uncover additional forensic evidence.
