Ong'ondo Were: Video of Slain ODM MP Speaking About Plans to Have Him Shot Dead Emerges
- Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were detailed a plot to assassinate him, naming individuals and warning of plainclothes officers and hired youth planning to create chaos
- MP Were was fatally shot in Nairobi just as he had foretold, ambushed at a red light by gunmen on a motorcycle, shortly after he warned he might be killed
- In the undated footage, Were claimed that youth from Kisumu and Migori had been paid to stir violence at a public event, providing cover for his assassination
- Speaking exclusively to TUKO.co.ke, security analyst Samuel Ochieng, said that such killings rarely happen in isolation
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Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Nairobi - A chilling video has emerged showing Kasipul MP Charles Ong'ondo Were foretelling his own death after he was shot dead in Nairobi in what authorities are describing as a targeted and premeditated attack.
Source: Facebook
The undated footage, which has since gone viral on social media, captured the late legislator passionately decrying what he described as a well-orchestrated plot to end his life.
He narrated a plot allegedly hatched to eliminate him, naming specific individuals and painting a picture of the scheme involving plainclothes officers and hired youth meant to provoke chaos at a meeting he was expected to attend.
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Were claimed his political enemies had hired youth from Kisumu and Migori to cause chaos at the gathering, with the intention of assassinating him in the confusion.
"The people causing trouble here, Mr. DCC, are well-known serial thieves, and we know them. We know them. They are the insecurity themselves. The ones bringing problems here in Kasipul are not from Kasipul; some are from Migori, others from Kisumu, and they are being hired to come here.
"Even yesterday at 8pm, there was a meeting, it was attended by a former MCA and a man called ... They said they are waiting for the meeting I will attend, so that plainclothes police officers from outside Kasipul can be stationed, and that is why I want this to be spoken and recorded. Then, the youth hired from Kisumu will come and start chaos, so I can be shot," the MP alleged in the video.
He went on to warn his supporters that should he be killed, the repercussions in Kasipul would be dire.
"I want to tell my people: if you hear that I’ve been killed, I have already spoken. And the day I am killed, Kasipul will never be the same again," he said.
Those words have now taken on a haunting resonance, following the brutal attack that claimed his life on the evening of Wednesday, April 30.
Speaking exclusively to TUKO.co.ke, political risk and security analyst Samuel Ochieng, emphasized that such killings rarely happen in isolation.
He cautioned that if credible threats are not acted upon, the risk to public leaders remains dangerously high.
“From my assessment, the MP’s warning indicated a pattern we’ve seen before, where intelligence is either ignored or suppressed, and actors are allowed to operate with impunity. He was very specific in naming people, places, and tactics, and in hindsight, he was spot on. This shows that his life could have been saved if security organs had acted proactively, he told TUKO.co.ke.
How was Ong'ondo Were killed?
According to the National Police Service, Were was seated in a white Toyota Crown at the City Mortuary roundabout in Nairobi when the ambush occurred, adding that it was around 7.30pm when the vehicle stopped at a red light on Ngong Road.
Source: Facebook
Eyewitnesses said the two assailants on a motorcycle pulled up alongside the car, and the pillion passenger dismounted, walked up to the car, and fired multiple shots at close range, hitting the MP on the passenger side.
The shooter then leapt back onto the waiting motorcycle, and the duo sped off.
Were’s driver and another unidentified passenger, both unhurt, rushed him to Nairobi Hospital’s emergency unit, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Moments later, police cordoned off the scene and began combing the area for CCTV footage and possible leads.
How did leaders and security officers react to Were's killing?
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched a manhunt for the two suspects, with police appealing to the public to provide any information.
Interior PS Raymond Omollo assured the family of the MP and Kenyans at large that a thorough investigation into the killing would be expedited to identify the killers and their motive.
Omollo confirmed that Were was accompanied by his driver and bodyguard, who brought him to Nairobi Hospital after the shooting.
The PS visited the scene alongside DCI boss Amin Mohamed and a host of other elected leaders.
Saboti MP Caleb Amisi shared that Were had expressed concerns about his safety earlier that day, saying "things are not well" and requesting a private conversation.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
