Kasipul Member of Parliament (MP) Charles Ong’ondo Were was shot dead on Wednesday night near the City Mortuary roundabout in Nairobi in what police suspect to be a targeted assassination.
According to witness reports, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) legislator was ambushed at around 7:30 p.m. by two gunmen riding on a motorcycle. The attackers reportedly trailed his vehicle before one of them disembarked and fired several close-range shots, fatally wounding the MP.
His driver, who was with him during the attack, survived without serious injuries, strengthening investigators’ belief that the gunmen were specifically targeting Were.
Traffic police officers stationed at the roundabout witnessed the horrifying incident. The MP was rushed to Nairobi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Charles Ong’ondo Were was serving his second term as Kasipul MP in Homa Bay County, first elected in 2017 on an ODM ticket. Before his political career, he worked with the Ministry of Education and was known as a passionate advocate for reforms in Kenya’s public education sector.
Fellow lawmakers and ODM officials have expressed shock and called for swift investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice.
More details to follow as the story develops…
