'Bodyguard betrayal': How MP Ong'ondo Were was trailed and killed

The final day of Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were began like any other, with a routine gym session and meetings at Parliament.

But by nightfall on April 30, 2025, the legislator would lie dead along Ngong Road, gunned down in what investigators now describe as a carefully coordinated assassination allegedly orchestrated with the help of the very man tasked with protecting him.

Nearly a year later, the chilling sequence of events continues to haunt investigators and the MP’s family, as fresh details from more than 1,000 CCTV cameras reconstruct the hours leading up to the killing.

On the morning of that Wednesday, Were arrived at Bunge Towers at around 6:39am, casually dressed in a reddish jersey and black-and-white striped trousers. According to investigators, he had come for his routine gym session before beginning his official duties at Parliament.

Shortly after arriving, the MP made an unusual decision that investigators now believe signaled he sensed danger.

His driver, Walter Owino, was instructed to leave with his usual vehicle and return later with his son’s white Toyota Crown (KDM 783A). Prosecutors say Were feared his movements were being tracked.

READ: Ong'ondo Were: Double life and secrets that follow him to the grave

According to CCTV footage obtained from cameras installed around Parliament buildings, Harambee Avenue and nearby streets, a team of suspected assassins had begun positioning themselves around the area hours before the fatal shooting.

At around 3:18 pm, a man identified by investigators as Isaac Kuria, believed to be the gunman, was seen alighting from a vehicle along Parliament Road carrying a black sling bag.

Minutes later, a white vehicle, KAZ 645Z, believed to have been borrowed by another suspect, William Imoli, arrived near the same area accompanied by a motorcycle rider.

Detectives say the car, reportedly linked to a police officer but borrowed for the day, transported individuals believed to be part of the assassination squad.

Over the next several hours, the suspects were seen making repeated movements around Parliament Road, Harambee Avenue and nearby parking areas, appearing to track the MP’s vehicle and movements.

But the most disturbing moments captured on CCTV involved the MP’s own bodyguard, Allan Omondi Ogola.

Investigators say Ogola was recorded in several meetings with individuals believed to be the assassins.

At around 4:17 pm, CCTV footage shows a man stepping out of the KAZ vehicle and crossing Parliament Road toward the Toyota Crown used by the MP. Investigators believe this is the moment Ogola met the suspected gunman.

Later that evening, the surveillance trail became even more alarming when at around 7:08pm, Ogola was captured near an Equity Bank branch where he appeared to briefly converse with one of the suspects. Prosecutors say this meeting occurred barely minutes before the MP left Parliament.

The bodyguard then hurried back toward the National Assembly building.

Moments later, at approximately 7:22pm, Were emerged from Parliament and headed toward the VIP pick-up point. CCTV shows him chatting casually with colleagues at the lobby, unaware of the danger that awaited him.

National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed later recalled seeing him shortly before the fatal journey.

“He left barely 30 minutes before he met his death,” Junet said.

At the pick-up point, Ogola handed the MP his mobile phone and documents before ushering him into the co-driver’s seat of the Toyota Crown.

Were waved to colleagues—a final gesture that investigators say marked the last moment he was seen alive within Parliament precincts.

The vehicle exited the Parliament gates at around 7:23pm.

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Unbeknownst to the MP, both the motorcycle and the KAZ vehicle began trailing his car through the city streets.

CCTV cameras show the convoy moving through Wabera Street and Valley Road, with the suspects maintaining close surveillance.

By the time the vehicles reached Ngong Road near the Mbagathi roundabout, the killers had chosen their moment.

The location, investigators say, had no functioning CCTV cameras.

At the traffic lights near the City Mortuary junction, the MP’s vehicle slowed.

That was when the attackers struck.

The gunman, riding on the motorcycle, opened fire at close range, fatally shooting the legislator before fleeing the scene.

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo later confirmed investigators believed the MP had been trailed for hours.

“It appears that this assassin was trailing the car from town,” he said.

After the shooting, CCTV footage captured the suspected getaway vehicle entering a Rubis petrol station in Hurlingham, where the occupants were seen making phone calls shortly after the assassination.

The MP’s family lawyer, Apollo Mboya, says the family is still struggling to understand why the lawmaker was targeted.

“The family wants to know the motive what the MP had done to somebody that made the person think the only way to solve the grievance was to kill,” he said.

So far, several suspects including the MP’s bodyguard and alleged gunman have been charged with murder before Justice Diana Kavatsa.