Kenyan MP, Charles Ong’ondo Were, 46, shot dead in ‘targeted’ attack in Nairobi late Wednesday

Bystanders witnessed a shooter riding the pillion seat of a motorcycle open fire on the MP’s car while it was stopped at the intersection

Charles Were, a member of the centre-left Orange Democratic Movement, was the legislator representing Kasipul, a constituency in western Kenya

The injured MP was rushed by his chauffeur and bodyguard, to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival

Motive for hit remains unclear, but Were had publicly claimed some “hired goons” were plotting to assassinate him, attributing the plot to local politics

Kenyan politician Charles Ong’ondo Were [photo], was shot dead in the streets of the capital Nairobi by gunmen on a motorcycle in a suspected assassination. The opposition Member of parliament was serving his second term in parliament

A member of Kenya’s Parliament, Charles Ong’ondo Were, was shot dead on a busy street in the capital Nairobi by gunmen on a motorcycle, late Wednesday. Bystanders witnessed a shooter riding the pillion seat of a motorcycle open fire on the MP’s car while it was stopped at the intersection.
The suspected assassination unfolded with the assailants trailing the politician’s vehicle before one of them got off the motorbike and shot him at close range, police said
“The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and predetermined,” police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement.
Were, 46, was the legislator representing Kasipul, a constituency in western Kenya and a member of the centre-left Orange Democratic Movement, which arose out of opposition to a 2005 proposal to replace the constitution with a text that critics said placed exorbitant power in the presidency.
The opposition MP according to local media reports, two months ago complained about threats to his life.

Forensics experts from Nairobi police department examine Charles Ong’ondo Were’s vehicle after he was shot in traffic. Police said the assailants trailed the opposition politician’s vehicle on a motorbike, before one of them got off and shot him at close range

Going back to February 24, 1965, with the assassination of Pio Gama Pinto, Wednesday’s killing would make the ninth case of an elected representative killed while serving in office in the country – several of them in traffic. The last known case was the assassination of MP George Muchai in 2015.
Wednesday’s attack in the capital, happened along Ngong Road near a busy roundabout often manned by traffic police and well secured with cameras. Were’s chauffeur and bodyguard, both unhurt, managed to rush the injured MP to Nairobi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Shortly after the shooting, senior police commanders and detectives visited the scene and investigations are under way, police said.
President William Ruto has ordered police to conduct a thorough investigation into the attack, adding: “Those responsible must be held to account.”
Fellow legislators who visited the scene on Wednesday night expressed shock and outrage at the killing and called for swift investigations and justice. Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, described Charles Were as a “fearless and distinguished” legislator, calling his shooting “devastating”.

“The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and predetermined,” police said. The opposition MP, [photo], according to local media reports, two months ago complained about threats to his life

The motive for his killing is still not clear but the opposition politician legislator had publicly stated that some “hired goons” were plotting to assassinate him, attributing the plot to local politics.
In February, he expressed concern over growing violence and unrest during public events in the Kasipul constituency in western Kenya which he represented.
“When you hear I have been killed, Kasipul will not be the same again. But I know they won’t kill me because I have the Bible in my phone and another one under my pillow,” Were said at the time.
On Thursday, homicide detectives visited the scene with Interior Minister Kipchumba Murkomen saying that “investigations have advanced”.
Were was serving his second term in parliament as a member of the Orange Democratic Movement, led by veteran politician Raila Odinga.