- MP Charles Were had earlier voiced fears for his safety due to political violence.
- He accused non-resident goons of orchestrating attacks in Kasipul.
- The lawmaker’s convoy was once blocked and pelted with stones during a funeral.
- Police believe the attack was deliberate and carefully coordinated.
- Residents have expressed mixed feelings about his leadership, some branding him a ‘goon.’
Two months before his assassination, Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were had openly expressed concerns about his security. In a February statement, he spoke of increasing hostility and lawlessness in his backyard, revealing that his life could be at risk due to political tensions.
The legislator narrated incidents where he was targeted while attending funerals in his constituency. He claimed that in one instance at Got Nyang’o, unknown individuals blocked his convoy and attempted to harm him, but his security detail swiftly intervened.
“I was attending a funeral at Got Nyang’o. After the service, a group of youths blocked the road and we couldn’t move. Luckily, I had security officers with me,” he recounted
The following day, at a different funeral in Nyatindo, the chaos continued. One of the attackers allegedly warned the MP against speaking at the event. He said tensions in the area were being stoked by individuals ferried in from outside regions like Migori and Kisumu.
A Deadly End on Nairobi Roads
On the night of Wednesday, April 30, the tragic end came. MP Were was gunned down in Nairobi while seated in a white Toyota Crown along Ngong Road, close to the City Mortuary roundabout. The gunman, who arrived on a motorcycle, shot him on the passenger’s side before escaping.
The National Police Service described the incident as a calculated hit.
“At around 7:30 pm, a motorcycle with two men approached a vehicle stopped at the traffic lights. One of them fired shots at the front passenger’s seat before fleeing the scene,” said Nairobi Regional Police Commander.
Police are treating the shooting as a targeted assassination.
Mixed Reactions from Constituents
In the wake of his murder, some residents from Kasipul have expressed mixed sentiments about the MP. While some mourned his death, others went on record claiming he was part of the violence he once condemned—labeling him a “goon” who had fallen victim to the same wave of disorder he was accused of enabling.
The motive behind the murder remains unclear as investigations continue. However, Were’s earlier warnings now cast a chilling shadow over the circumstances of his death.
