Key suspect trailed MP Ong'ondo Were from Parliament - Police

Detectives are pursuing leads on the man who killed Kaspul Member of Parliament Charles Ong’ondo at a traffic jam in Nairobi wore a hood to hide his identity.

The killer also most likely trailed the MP’s car from the Parliament Building to the scene where he was shot dead, police said.

The killer was captured on security cameras near where Were stopped to make financial transactions on his way from the Parliament Building. 

The man had a rider who was riding him from Parliament Building to City Hall Way, Wabera Street, Kenyatta Avenue, Jakaya Kikwete Road and later to Valley Road where the shooting happened on Wednesday, April 30 at about 7.30 pm. 

It is believed the killers had insider information on the movement of the MP.

This is after it emerged Were had abandoned his usual car and resorted to using the salon Toyota Crown, one which he thought was more discreet.

But the killers seemed to have information on the changes.

Detectives who visited the last places where the MP spent his final day are now relying on CCTV footage and witness accounts from his driver and bodyguard in pursuit of the killers. 

On Thursday, detectives extended their probe to the National Assembly, where Were had spent most of his day attending to parliamentary duties. 

The MP left Parliament about 6.15 p.m., accompanied by his driver and bodyguard. 

The vehicle was seen heading towards City Hall Way before taking a turn onto Wabera Street. 

It was along this street that the MP’s car stopped. 

His bodyguard briefly stepped out, walking into an M-Pesa shop where he reportedly deposited Sh20,000 into the MP’s phone.

CCTV footage in the area captured a man wearing a hood and carrying a bag who was monitoring the car. 

The cameras also captured the MP and his team leaving the area at 7:19 p.m. and joining Kenyatta Avenue. 

The driver changed route and joined the Jakaya Kikwete Road to evade traffic before joining Argwings Kodhek Road. 

It is suspected he stopped briefly at a restaurant.

Unaware they were being followed, they joined Valley Road, where there was traffic.

The same man who was monitoring the car along Wabera Street was reportedly seen on top of a sports bike trailing the vehicle closely, police say. 

When the vehicle stopped after the traffic lights at 7:40 p.m., he (suspect) disembarked, went around the vehicle and went straight to his target.

He fired four shots at close range, shattering the window and hitting the MP on the chest and hand. 

The killer ran towards the sports bike, and the rider took off, heading towards Nairobi CBD.

The bodyguard, who was sitting behind the MP, told investigators that the shooting caught him unawares, and he had to take cover before disembarking from the car to pursue the attackers, who were long gone. 

He ran after the killers in vain, witnesses said. 

He swiftly ran back to help the MP, who was bleeding profusely and pleading for help.

They made a U-turn and rushed him to Nairobi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. 

He had been shot at least five times.

The driver and the bodyguard escaped unhurt in an attack that took less than a minute on a busy road.

Homicide detectives who visited the scene on Thursday morning to reconstruct the events recovered three spent cartridges, which will be subjected to ballistic examination.

Later, detectives camped along Wabera Street where the MP was last spotted before his assailants shot him dead. 

The same gunman and his rider are also said to have had lunch at a restaurant along Kimathi Street in Nairobi. 

Police have collected CCTV footage from several shops in the area, which captured the suspect as he monitored the vehicle that was parked next to an M-Pesa shop.

In their pursuit of the killer, the detectives have questioned the MP’s driver, bodyguard, and the M-Pesa attendant.

They also talked to the staff at the restaurant. 

The probe has also been extended to Kasipul as police investigate whether his murder is politically motivated.

Police say Were killing was targeted and premeditated. 

“The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and premeditated,” said police spokesman Michael Muchiri. 

Police want to know how the killers knew the MP had changed cars for safety reasons.