A Kenyan opposition member of Parliament was shot and killed in the capital, Nairobi, in what police have described as a “targeted and premeditated” assassination.
Charles Ong’ondo Were, who represented the Kasipul constituency in western Kenya, was attacked Wednesday evening while inside his vehicle near a busy intersection along Ngong Road in the capital, Nairobi.
Speaking Thursday morning, police said early evidence suggests the killing was not random.
“The nature of this crime appears to be both 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,” Kenya National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement.
The assailants, reported to be riding a motorcycle, fired multiple rounds at the lawmaker before speeding away, according to initial police findings.
Authorities confirmed that Were was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.
While the motive for the killing remains unclear, opposition leaders condemned the act as political violence and called for a swift and impartial investigation.
In a statement, President William Ruto expressed shock and called for calm as investigations continue.
The lawmaker had in recent months come under growing criticism from constituents in Kasipul, some of whom accused him of mistreating locals and allegedly being linked to suspicious deaths in the region, claims he publicly denied.
'Son of the soil'
The speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula said the killing had "robbed the nation of a distinguished legislator".
He wrote in a Facebook post late Wednesday that Were was "a fearless advocate for his constituents, and a man deeply committed to the democratic ideals and service to the people he represented".
Were was in his second term in parliament and was a member of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement, led by veteran politician Raila Odinga, who lost to William Ruto in the last election in 2022.
"We have lost a gallant son of the soil," Odinga said, reacting to the news of Were's death.
Odinga challenged the results of the 2022 election, which he lost to Ruto, but has entered a political alliance with the president in recent months.
