Court told how MP Ong'ondo Were was trailed by killers

A Kibera High Court has heard how Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were was closely surveilled in Nairobi on April 30, 2025, in what the prosecution said was a coordinated operation involving his own bodyguard, a vehicle and a motorcycle, culminating in his fatal shooting later that night.

Testifying before High Court Judge Lady Justice Diana Kavedza, a chief inspector who is in charge of forensic, imaging and acoustic, walked the court through extensive CCTV footage obtained from Parliament and adjacent buildings, Wabera Street, and Valley Road.

The footage showed how the MP’s vehicle was followed by a white car and a motorcycle in the hours leading to the killing.

The MP’s vehicle, a white Toyota Crown registration number KDM 783A, was captured entering Bunge Towers at 8.37am before exiting at 3:30pm and parking near Family Bank along Parliament Road.

According to the CCTV, surveillance began around 3:14pm when a vehicle with registration number KAZ 645Z, and a motorcycle rider who appeared to be working together with the occupants of KAZ, drove towards the parliament roundabout from Harambee avenue.

The footage showed KAZ making several loops around Parliament Lane, Parliament roundabout, and Harambee Avenue, with the motorcycle maintaining close proximity.

At about 3.18pm, a man identified as the co-driver of KAZ alighted near Equity Bank carrying a sling bag and wearing a checked long-sleeved shirt, blue trouser and brownish shoes.

At about 3:29pm, the same man was seen engaging in brief conversations with the motorcycle rider inside Equity Bank parking before returning to KAZ.

By 4.09pm, KAZ 645Z had secured parking. The sling-bag suspect again stepped out, walked towards family bank, stayed there for several minutes and returned to the vehicle.

County Hall cameras later captured him pacing near Parliament entrance, crossing the road and making phone calls.

The court heard that later in the evening, KDM was driven to Ukulima House parking and KAZ was parked along parliament road.

At around 7.15pm, CCTV footage showed a man in a suit, who is now identified as the MP’s bodyguard and one of the accused persons running after KDM 783A before entering the vehicle.

Moments later, KDM exited Ukulima parking through the DCI gate and proceeded to Parliament, where it picked up MP Ong’ondo Were at about 7.20pm.

Almost simultaneously, KAZ left the equity bank parking while the sling-bag suspect positioned himself outside, facing the Parliament entrance.

Cameras then captured KDM leaving Parliament with MP Were onboard, and at 7:24pm, the vehicle was driven towards holy family basilica roundabout. At the same time, the sling-bag suspect mounted the waiting motorcycle, which immediately followed the MP’s vehicle along Parliament Road towards the Family Basilica roundabout.

At this point, the KAZ had been driven past the senate gate entrance and was slowly approaching the holy basilica roundabout. It then made a U-turn back to Parliament Road at the Basilica roundabout at 7:26pm.

On Wabera Street, footage from cameras mounted at the Standard Building showed KDM pulling over near an M-Pesa shop at about 7.35 pm. A man in a suit alighted from the back seat and briefly entered the shop, while the motorcycle also stopped.

The sling-bag suspect dismounted from the motorcycle, spoke briefly with the rider, donned a maroon marvin in the head, and walked away while appearing to make phone calls.

Moments later, KDM proceeded towards Kenyatta Avenue, with the motorcycle resuming pursuit. By 7.39pm, both KDM and the motorcycle were captured on Valley Road heading towards Hurlingham roundabout.

The MP was shot minutes later along Valley Road at the Ngong Road roundabout in what the police said was a targeted and predetermined attack.

The witness testified that subsequent footage from Rubis petrol station in Hurlingham showed the driver of KAZ pacing while making prolonged phone calls, interacting with a motorcycle rider and later boarding the motorcycle.

In summing up his observations, the officer told the court that KAZ 645Z and the motorcycle were captured repeatedly at close proximity to KDM 783A across multiple locations.

“There were consistent interactions between the motorcycle rider, the driver and co-driver of KAZ. There was visible use of mobile phones and coordinated stopovers at M-Pesa shops and Rubis petrol station. From the footage, there appeared to be synchronised movement and surveillance across different locations within the stated routes,” he said.

On Monday, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Gikui Gichuhi told the court that Were’s killing was the result of a carefully orchestrated conspiracy involving five suspects, including the MP’s own bodyguard.

“The prosecution will present credible and cogent evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the five accused persons jointly planned and executed this heinous act,” Gichuhi said.

She told the court that one of the accused persons was the overall mastermind who ordered and financed the killing, another supplied the murder weapon, while a hired gun pulled the trigger.

The bodyguard, she said, allegedly abused his position of trust to deliver the MP into the hands of his killers.

“My Lady, before this court today, we speak for a life that was brutally and unlawfully taken away. The deceased was not just a victim; he was an honourable Member of Parliament, a father, a husband, and a leader entrusted with the voice and hopes of his people,” the prosecution stated.

The accused persons are William Imoli alias Imo, Edwin Odour Odhiambo alias Machuani, Ebel Ochieng alias Dave Calo, Isaac Kuria, and Allan Ogola. They all denied the charges.

Were was shot at close range by gunmen on a motorcycle on April 30, 2025. His driver and bodyguard rushed him to Nairobi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

At the time of his death, Ongondo Were had complained of threats to his life.

The hearing continues, with prosecutors expected to present further witnesses and evidence to link the accused to the murder.