The driver and bodyguard to
Kaspul MP Ong’ondo Were have been arrested and detained for grilling.
Police, who arrested the two
Tuesday night, said they are persons of interest in the case for now.
The two were detained by
detectives handling the matter after they gave inconsistent statements on what
they knew or did not know about the murder.
The two were not hurt when a
gunman opened fire at a traffic jam in Nairobi, killing Were on the spot.
An autopsy has shown he was
shot five times and that the bullets ruptured vital organs, including his heart.
Were who was serving his
second term in Parliament was shot and killed on April 30 along Valley Road
near the City Mortuary.
The bodyguard jumped out of the car as the gunman had hopped onto a getaway motorcycle.
Witnesses said he chased the
motorcycle for a short distance before he raced back to the car to join the
driver and rushed the bleeding MP to the nearby Nairobi Hospital.
The detectives handling the
matter have been moving around with the two to reconstruct scenes where the MP
was before he was trailed and shot dead.
Four suspects are already in
custody over the murder.
One of the suspects arrested
had Sh615,000 in his house in Nairob,i believe to have been paid for the mission.
Detectives are trying to
establish the source of the money and the motive.
Police in the operation also
found several police uniforms and multiple mobile phones, which are currently
being examined for evidence.
The trio subsequently led
detectives to the home of police officer Juma Ali Hikal in Pangani area, where
a vehicle believed to have been used in the assassination was recovered.
Court documents indicate that
the suspects were in communication before and after the assassination.
CCTV footage, which investigators described as
pivotal, showed Shighali trailing MP Were along Nairobi’s Wabera Street.
He was seen carrying a bag
believed to have concealed the murder weapon and wearing police boots later
found at Hikal’s residence.
A search of Hikal’s home
uncovered ammunition, teargas canisters, and other paraphernalia now under
forensic analysis.
At Shighali’s residence,
detectives recovered several police uniforms, over USD 4,800 in cash, and
multiple mobile phones currently being examined for evidence.
“Thousands of minutes of CCTV
footage have been reviewed in an attempt to reconstruct the final moments of
the late MP,” said the prosecution during the court session.
“Nine live rounds of
ammunition and teargas canisters were also found at the second respondent’s
home.”
Investigators believe the
killing may have been orchestrated by an organized criminal network with access
to significant financial resources.
Police say they are looking
for more suspects including a police officer believed to have played a central
role in orchestrating the killing.
Investigators revealed that the
officer allegedly used a newly registered mobile number, now deactivated and
registered under a false identity, to coordinate with the assailants.
A Jomo Kenyatta International
Airport (JKIA) Chief Magistrate court allowed the Director of Criminal Investigations
(DCI) to detain the four suspects for 30 days pending probe.
