Kenyan MP Charles Ong’ondo Were Shot Dead in Suspected Targeted Attack
Kenyan MP Charles Ong’ondo Were was shot dead on Wednesday evening in what police are calling a "targeted and premeditated" attack. The Orange Democratic Movement legislator was ambushed by gunmen on a motorcycle as his car stopped at a traffic light on Ngong Road in Nairobi. Despite efforts by his driver and bodyguard to get him to hospital, Were was pronounced dead on arrival.
Witnesses said the attackers had followed the MP’s car from parliament before one of them got off the motorbike and fired at close range. The killing took place in a high-traffic area monitored by CCTV and usually patrolled by police, prompting questions about how the gunmen escaped so easily. Were had publicly expressed concerns about threats to his life, telling supporters earlier this year, “When you hear I have been killed, Kasipul will not be the same again.”
President William Ruto called for a thorough investigation, stating, “Those responsible must be held to account.” ODM leader Raila Odinga condemned the killing, saying Were was "mercilessly and in cold blood, gunned down by an assassin" and described him as a “gallant son of the soil.” Were’s death has sparked fresh outrage among politicians and citizens alike, highlighting Kenya’s fraught political climate and history of violence.
