MP Charles Ong’ondo Were had publicly warned of threats to his life. He was gunned down by a motorcycle assassin near Nairobi Funeral Home, minutes after leaving Parliament.
Kasipul Member of Parliament, Charles Ong'ondo Were, who was shot dead by an assailant on Wednesday night, knew he was a marked man, and he openly complained his life was in danger.
He made it known to the public and police that he was fearful he was a man walking with a target on the back.
Just two months ago, on February 8, the MP, who was gunned down at the Nairobi Funeral Home roundabout along Ngong Road shortly before 8pm, openly cited two incidents that pointed to a man who was troubled, and worried over his life.
That day, Were condemned the increasing incidents of violence in his constituency, which he claimed were being orchestrated by an external force.
According to the legislator - whose spoken Swahili wasn't as fluent and always left his listeners in stitches - individuals, who are not residents of his constituency, had been disrupting public gatherings.
He cited an incident that happened a week earlier in Nyatindo, East Kamagak Ward, during a funeral ceremony when he was accosted by goons.
"Immediately I arrived there, before even praying, one of the notorious criminals who came from Kachien, called Aboy, stated I would not talk there. The villagers were angered over what happened, and the process is with the investigative agencies," he said.
A day before this incident, Mr Were revealed that his vehicle was blocked as he was leaving another funeral, adding that had he not been with his security team, he would have been attacked.
In another undated video clip doing rounds on social media, the MP openly said there was an organised criminal gang that was baying for his blood.
"There is a former MCA here and someone called Ongaki. He (MCA) said they are waiting for a public gathering where I'll be in attendance so that they bring police officers not from Kasipul together with youth from Kisumu to create chaos so that I am shot dead," he said, much to the horror of his audience, who loudly condemned such a thing.
Unfortunately, in a sad twist of events, his fears were actualised and a gunman, a pillion passenger on a motorcycle, believed to have tracked him from Parliament on Wednesday night, shot at him, killing him on the spot.
For the slain MP, his last day on earth was a typical day for a legislator filled with meetings and committee hearings at Parliament.
In fact, according to Kabondo Kasipul MP Eve Obara, she had spent the whole afternoon with Mr Were, who had been cheerful and full of life all day.
"We even had tea and spent the entire afternoon together speaking over an array of things. I left him at around 7 pm as he headed home, only to be called by my driver, who had communicated with his driver, informing me that my friend had been shot dead!... I am in total shock, I cannot find the right words to say," she said.
Her account was corroborated by Homa Bay Woman Representative Joyce Atieno Bensuda, who said she saw Mr Were addressing several MPs, including Ms Obara that evening.
"He was having a discussion with his colleagues. He was addressing the MPs who were listening to him. I send my condolences to the family," she said.
National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed said that Mr Were left Parliament barely 30 minutes before meeting his death.
"He was at Parliament the whole afternoon. I ask the police to investigate the matter thoroughly. I convey my condolences and those of the party (ODM) to Were's family. Our party leader (Raila Odinga) was here too and has since left," he said.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula offered his condolences and termed the murder of Were as a "cowardly act committed under the cover of night"
"It (the murder) has robbed the nation of a distinguished legislator, a fearless advocate for his constituents, and a man deeply committed to the democratic ideals and service to the people he represented. The loss of Were is not just a tragedy to his family and the people of Kasipul but also a big loss to the people of Kenya," Mr Wetang'ula stated and called on the state security agencies to conduct investigations and bring to book those responsible.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga described Mr Were's death as a "big blow to the people of Homa Bay and particularly, Kasipul, who lost their legislator.
"We have lost a great son, a father, and husband," she said.
Thus far, the State security agencies have launched investigations into the morbid occurrence with the Internal Security and National Administration Principal Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo saying the top leadership of the National Police Service (NPS) including the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss, Mohamed Amin and Nairobi Region Police Commander, George Sedah were apprised of the matter and had commenced investigations.
"As of now, we have a preliminary report that does not have the full details, except how the incident happened. Investigations have begun, and its findings will unravel what really happened. We will have an expedited investigation process, and I appeal for calm from the people of Kasipul," he said.
The PS also said that the MP left parliament a few minutes past 7 pm and that the shooting occurred at 7:30 pm.
The identities of the shooter and the rider of the motorcycle are yet to be identified, he said, saying Were's driver and another male passenger in the white Toyota Crown vehicle, took the legislator to Nairobi Hospital and did not see the faces of the assailants who sped off after the shooting.
Kasipul MP Ong'ondo Were speaks at the funeral of former national chairman of Universities Academic Staff Union Muga K'Olale at Agoro Sare Primary School in Rachuonyo South on April 21,2023.
But before his death, the MP was not a man without controversies, particularly those linking him to violent incidents in his constituency.
For the last few years, cases of violence, ending up in deaths, serious injuries and even disappearances of persons have been recorded, with a section of Kasipul locals, on more than one occasion, pointing an accusing finger at their representative at the August House.
So bad was the situation that shortly after arriving at Nairobi Hospital, Rangwe MP, Lilian Gogo, who is Mr Were's sister-in-law, issued a shocking statement.
"My brother-in-law was an excellent MP who never missed a session of Parliament. He had reported that his life was in danger. I want to say this in front of the cameras, the perpetrator of this murder is known. There is a kind of violence creeping into Homa Bay politics that needs to be tamed by the law enforcement agencies," she said.
But Mr Were's death, it appears, has opened a can of worms, full of dirty secrets and past sins, full of all manner of human rights violations, impunity and blatant use of hooliganism to instil fear and assert dominance over those who disagreed with him.
An article published in a national newspaper in 2019 implicated the MP in the disappearance of Doughty Apondi, a woman who went to Were's house in Meru to look for work in 2010.
But Apondi's mother, Grace Adongo (now deceased), said her daughter disappeared after visiting the legislator's house and has never been seen again. The old woman died before she ever saw her daughter again.
Before her death, Ms Adongo appealed to the DCI and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to assist her in looking for her daughter, who was 35 at the time of her disappearance.
"I have been going through a lot of pain for the last nine years since I cannot find my daughter," she said.
Other than this case, several accounts on social media, mostly by Kasipul residents, depicted an image of a political leader who wielded raw power, fueled by a ton of young people who offered him security, and when provoked, easily maimed and tortured.
In all these cases, the complainants posted that "the police and local authorities did nothing to the perpetrators".
Were's killing has also added fuel to a firestorm raging online over a comment made by an MP following a recent exposé on the killing of protesters during last year's anti-tax protests.
Mandera North MP Bashir Abdullahi has faced the wrath of Kenyans online for making controversial remarks about the BBC exposé on the faces behind the killing of protesters at Parliament buildings during the 2024 anti-government protests.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Mr Bashir said the documentary was in bad taste and "discriminatory", adding that "Kenya has moved on" from the deaths witnessed during the protests and people should not fixate on the matter.
"As much as we agree that our fellow Kenyans lost their lives, unfortunately, we have also moved on to ensure that we reconcile the country as we move on," he said.
In retaliation, several Kenyans took to Facebook, Twitter and flooded YouTube comments to share their thoughts on the ironic turn of events that led to the MP's death.
"Just like we were told by the MPs yesterday, we sympathised and move on" was the top comment for hundreds of social media users.
The police have, in a statement released at midnight, described Were's death as "targeted and premeditated".
"At this stage, it is too early to provide further details. Senior police commanders and detectives are at the scene, piecing together the circumstances surrounding the death. National Police Service condemns this heinous and senseless crime and will spare no effort in investigating the matter. The Service extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved parliamentary colleagues, constituents, and close associates," National Police Service Spokesman Michael Muchiri said in a statement.
Mr Were's body was moved to Lee Funeral Home on Wednesday night.
