A suspect linked to the murder of Kasipul Member of Parliament Ong’ondo Were has been arrested in Nairobi, marking a significant development in the ongoing investigation. Detectives revealed that the suspect was apprehended on Sunday morning and is believed to have played a central role in the planned and targeted assassination of the legislator. Authorities also recovered a car used by the suspect and his accomplices during the mission. The vehicle was reportedly used to flee the scene after the fatal shooting near City Mortuary along Valley Road.
Surveillance footage places the same vehicle at several locations the MP passed through before his murder, including near Parliament Building, City Hall Way, Wabera Street, Kenyatta Avenue, Jakaya Kikwete Road, and eventually Valley Road. These movements mirror the MP’s route from Parliament before the fatal encounter, suggesting the attackers had been trailing him for some time.
Investigators have identified the incident as a murder and are actively pursuing other suspects. The arrested individual is being interrogated to disclose the motive behind the killing, reveal the identities of his accomplices, and help recover the weapon and motorcycle used during the attack. The suspect is said to have been present along all the roads taken by the MP on the day of the murder, further linking him to the crime.
The assassination took place on the evening of April 30, 2025. The MP had left Parliament at approximately 6:15 p.m., accompanied by his driver and bodyguard. As the vehicle moved through the city, it stopped briefly along Wabera Street, where the MP’s bodyguard entered a nearby M-Pesa shop and deposited KSh20,000 into the MP’s phone. CCTV footage from the area captured a man in a hooded jacket and carrying a bag watching the vehicle closely.
Shortly thereafter, the vehicle resumed its journey, joining Kenyatta Avenue before diverting to Jakaya Kikwete Road and Argwings Kodhek Road in an attempt to avoid traffic. As they approached Valley Road around 7:40 p.m., the vehicle became stuck in traffic. It was at this point that the hooded gunman, who had been seen tailing the MP on a sports bike, disembarked, walked up to the car, and fired four shots at close range, fatally injuring the MP.
The gunman immediately fled on the motorcycle, which sped off toward Nairobi’s Central Business District. The attack happened so quickly that the bodyguard, seated in the back with the MP, was caught off guard and could not react in time to stop the shooter. He later tried to chase the attackers on foot but was unsuccessful. The MP was then rushed to Nairobi Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival.
At the crime scene, detectives recovered three spent cartridges, which will undergo ballistic analysis to aid the investigation. Security agencies have since reviewed CCTV footage from multiple locations and interviewed several witnesses, including the MP’s driver, bodyguard, and the M-Pesa shop attendant.
Investigators have also extended their probe to Kasipul in Homa Bay, amid growing speculation that the murder may have been politically motivated. The incident has sparked outrage and tension, particularly within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), where leaders are demanding swift justice and the arrest of all individuals involved in the killing.
Efforts continue to locate the motorcycle used in the attack and to identify all accomplices as authorities piece together the full scope of the meticulously planned murder.
