Kenyan President William Ruto has vowed a comprehensive investigation into the killing of Member of Parliament Charles Ong’ondo Were, who was shot dead Wednesday night in what authorities describe as a targeted and premeditated attack in Nairobi.
According to police reports, the Kasipul MP was attacked while sitting in his car at a traffic light along Ngong Road, a busy highway in the capital. Eyewitnesses said a gunman riding as a passenger on a motorbike opened fire before fleeing the scene. Were was rushed to Nairobi Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
In a statement on Thursday, President Ruto condemned the killing and pledged justice. “Those responsible must be held to account,” he posted on social media platform X.
National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga confirmed that the assassination appeared deliberate, emphasizing that investigators would leave “no effort spared” in uncovering the perpetrators behind what he called a “heinous and senseless crime.”
Images from the scene showed the front passenger window of Were’s vehicle shattered and blood on the seat as forensic teams combed through the car. The driver and another passenger escaped unharmed.
Were, a second-term MP representing Kasipul constituency in Homa Bay County, was a member of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) led by veteran opposition figure Raila Odinga. Reacting to the news, Odinga mourned the loss of “a gallant son of the soil” and praised Were as a committed advocate for his constituents.
Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula also paid tribute, describing the slain lawmaker as “a distinguished legislator” and “fearless public servant.”
Fellow MPs expressed alarm over increasing political tensions. Lilian Gogo, a lawmaker from Homa Bay, warned of a “wave of violence creeping into the region’s politics” and called for immediate action to prevent further bloodshed.
While political assassinations are rare in Kenya, the killing has stirred deep concern in a country often regarded as one of the more stable democracies in the Horn of Africa.