Charles Ong'ondo Were: How Late MP's Family Will Be Compensated
- Kasipul MP Charles Ong'ondo Were was killed in a suspected assassination on Wednesday, April 30
- The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lawmaker was re-elected in the 2022 General Election and was serving his second term
- According to the Parliamentary Pensions Act, the deceased was eligible for gratuity and not pension since he had not completed two terms
TUKO.co.ke journalist Japhet Ruto has over eight years of experience specialising in finance, business, and technology, providing valuable insights into economic trends in Kenya and globally.
On Wednesday, April 30, Kasipul Member of Parliament (MP) Charles Ong'ondo Were was killed by a gunman in a suspected assassination.
Source: Facebook
How Charles Ong'ondo Were died
Unknown gunmen on a motorcycle are said to have shot the legislator, according to witnesses.
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The incident happened at approximately 7:30pm near the City Mortuary roundabout in the capital, Nairobi.
According to witnesses, the lawmaker was approached by two assailants on a motorcycle. One of them shot him at close range, leaving him fatally wounded.
Ong'ondo was re-elected in the 2022 General Election on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket.
How much will Ong'ondo's family earn?
According to the Parliamentary Pensions Act, the deceased was not eligible for a pension since he had not completed two terms.
Since the MP had served less than 10 years, the act noted his legal representatives will receive gratuity five times his annual pensionable emoluments.
"If his aggregate period of reckonable service is not less than twelve months, but less than 10 years the committee shall pay a gratuity to his legal personal representatives of an amount equal to five times his annual pensionable emoluments on the date of his death or on the last date on which he was a member, as the case may be," the act states.
Source: Facebook
The deceased ODM lawmaker's wife will not be entitled to a pension since his aggregate period of service was less than 10 years.
"The widow of a man who has died after the date of commencement of this act shall be entitled to receive a pension under this section if her late husband, at the time of his death was entitled to receive a pension under section 8(1); or was not so entitled but whose aggregate period of reckonable service was not less than 10 years," it clarified.
His children would get a share but would not receive a pension.
What police said about Ong'ondo's death
Investigations are currently underway, according to police, who stated Ong'ondo's death was a well-planned and targeted assassination.
Detectives were gathering evidence to bring the culprits to book.
The police denounced the horrible murder and asked anyone with information on his killing to report to the nearest police station.
Did Ong'ondo express fear for his life?
Two months ago, the ODM MP expressed fear for his life.
Back then, the lawmaker raised concerns to the media about the rising level of violence in his constituency.
He blamed the attacks on outside forces, claiming that people who didn't live in the area had been causing trouble at public events.
He drew attention to the top county security official's silence over the attacks.
He described an unsettling incident that happened when he was unable to traverse the constituency after attending a funeral in God Nyango because the road had been barricaded.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
