The assassination of Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were on May 1, 2025, has shocked many Kenyans, with growing evidence suggesting that the attack was carefully planned and carried out by people who had been following him from Parliament.
CCTV footage is now at the center of police investigations, showing clear movements of the killers as they trailed the MP’s car from the city center to the point where the fatal shooting happened along Ngong Road.
This tragic incident, which took place at a traffic light in a busy part of Nairobi, has raised serious concerns about the safety of public officials and the effectiveness of security surveillance in the capital.
According to reports by Daily Nation, MP Were had just left Parliament when he was followed by two men on a motorcycle. The CCTV footage, which is being reviewed by detectives, shows the motorbike following his car through several major streets including City Hall Way, Wabera Street, Kenyatta Avenue, and Valley Road. At around 7:30 PM, the attackers struck at a red light. One of them got off the motorbike and shot the MP several times at close range.
Although his driver and bodyguard rushed him to Nairobi Hospital, he was pronounced dead on arrival. The attackers then quickly escaped, showing that the whole act had been carefully thought out and executed with confidence, even in an area that is known to be under constant surveillance.
What makes this incident even more disturbing is the fact that MP Were had previously spoken about threats to his life. He had warned the public about plans by certain individuals to harm him, mentioning names and even describing how he had been blocked at a funeral by unknown people.
These warnings were ignored or not taken seriously enough. It now appears that those threats were real. Police now believe that the killing was not random but a targeted and premeditated act, possibly involving people who knew the MP’s routine.
He had recently started using a different car, a Toyota Crown, likely to avoid being easily recognized or followed.The swift response by the police and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations has given the public some hope that justice will be served. Top officers visited both the crime scene and Nairobi Hospital, and detectives are currently analyzing the CCTV recordings in detail to try and identify the suspects.
The fact that such an attack could happen so openly and with such planning has caused outrage. Many are asking how two men could follow an MP from the Parliament gates, through multiple streets, and kill him near a busy junction without being stopped or flagged by security.
The political world has been shaken, with MPs and leaders calling for better protection of elected officials. Charles Ong’ondo Were was known for being outspoken and fearless, which may have earned him enemies both politically and personally. His death has left a big gap in leadership for his constituents and a deep wound for his family and supporters.
There is now added pressure on the authorities to act fast and arrest those responsible, especially with so much CCTV evidence already available.
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