Kenya police say MP killing appears 'targeted’
NAIROBI
Graphic content / TOPSHOT - A forensic official inspects the inside of a car in which Kasipul member of parliament Charles Ong'ondo Were was killed, at the Nairobi Hospital in Nairobi on April 30, 2025.
The killing of a Kenyan member of parliament, Charles Ong'ondo Were, in the capital Nairobi, appeared to have been targeted, police said.
The MP was shot by a passenger on a motorbike late on April 30 as he was in a car on the major Ngong Road which runs through the capital, according to eyewitnesses cited in the police statement released hours afterwards.
"The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and premeditated," National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said in the statement.
After the gunman fled on the motorbike, the driver of the vehicle rushed Were to Nairobi hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival, Nyaga said.
Neither the driver nor a male passenger, also in the car at the time of the incident, were hurt during the attack, the statement said.
"At this stage, it is too early to provide further details," Nyaga added.
The police service "condemns this heinous and senseless crime and will spare no effort in investigating the matter," he said.
President William Ruto expressed condolences to Were's family and constituents in a post on X.
"We urge the police to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident. Those responsible must be held to account," he said.
