MPs call for better security at Ong'ondo requiem mass

The slain Kasipul Member of Parliament Charles Ong'ondo Were was on Wednesday eulogised as a dependable leader.

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, who urged MPs to subject their security details to fresh vetting, termed the MPs death unfortunate.

The late MPs colleagues spoke when they gathered at Consolata Shrine in Westlands, Nairobi during a requiem mass.

Calls for tighter security for Members of Parliament took centre stage during the mass. 

Leading MPs and other national leaders during the mass, Wetangula said it was the fourth time that an MP was killed in tragic circumstances.

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He urged the MPs to vet their security detail. "Submit your security for vetting," Wetangula told MPs.

He also called on the State to install CCTV cameras all around parliament.  "We want to see all the CCTV work optimally to monitor characters causing pain and suffering to families."

Were was assassinated on the eve of Labour Day celebrations by unknown individuals. Police have since arrested four suspects.  

Wetangula eulogised Were as a wonderful MP. "Were had been a wonderful MP. At no time had he been found on the wrong side of standing orders or even called to order. He has been a respectable member of the house and a steady member of the Catholic Church, even in parliament," he said.  

"Little did I know characters were baying for his blood and brutally bringing his life to an end," Wetangula said, sorrow written in his face. 

Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, while calling on security agencies to bring the perpetrators to book, remembered his Were as a passionate and dedicated member of the ODM party who "gave it all for the betterment of his party." 

"We hope the CCTV cameras are in place; we need the investigation agencies to act and unravel the mystery," he said, sentiments that reigned at the somber memorial service. 

Governors Gladys Wanga and Simba Arati, among other dignitaries who graced the memorial service, described him as a very firm and decisive person who was loyal to a fault. 

"His life was very simple and straightforward. He loved his family, was loved by his constituents, and was committed to serving them. He could attend up to 10 funerals in a day, always engaged with his people," he said.

Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi pledged the government's commitment to ensuring the assassins are apprehended.

In their tributes, the MPs described Were as a committed servant of the people who dedicated his life to his constituents, even as they urged Kenyans to show sympathy and tolerance whenever they disagree with their leaders. 

NA Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, while mourning his colleagues with whom they worked closely, as Kenyans to spare the grieving family the scolding they have encountered online. 

"He's a Kenyan, husband, father, leader, and carried aspirations for many. Let's give them the support that they need. My plea to Kenyans who are celebrating the death," he stated. 

"Let us not make allegations on things you can't substantiate," he added.

South Mugirango MP Silvanus Osoro said, "If you have a problem with a politician, wait for 2027 and deal with them." 

He shared the last moments of the deceased, saying "he was in high spirits during the day and later that afternoon sat at a corner, not looking okay, disturbed."

"He did not have any issue or squabbles with his colleagues," he said.

These were in response to the online ridicule the late MP's death has attracted, painting a dark side of Were, if the allegations are anything to go by. 

Since his death, several Kasipul constituents have come out to speak of their ordeals at the hands of the late legislator, a conversation that sparked widespread debate.

Some victims, according to their accounts, have been left grieving after losing their loved ones in circumstances that they link to the late MP. 

Others are also reeling in pain, with lifetime scars, with one family seeking justice 15 years without getting closure over their missing kin, said to have disappeared in the hands of the MP. However, he was a family man, whose children and spouse described him as a caring and lovable father and husband.

"You (Were) cherished family above all. You worked hard, not for recognition but to give us comfort, stability, and hope. You always showed us how much we mattered," said Boyd Were

They remembered the good memories they shared with him, expressing worry over how life without him would be. 

"A voice we loved is stilled. A place is vacant in our home, which can never be filled," said Gynsen Were. 

 Were's body will be flown to Homabay County on Thursday for burial scheduled to take place on Friday, 9, at his village home in Karabok, Kasipul Constituency.