The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Investigators probing the killing of Kasipul MP Charles Were have identified a key suspect caught on CCTV following the lawmaker shortly before he was fatally shot along Valley Road.
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The late MP was ambushed and shot at close range at least four times by a lone assailant, who fled on a waiting sport bike. Detectives, who have retraced his final movements, are now analyzing security camera footage and eyewitness testimonies from his driver and bodyguard in their search for the killer.
At the crime scene, three bullet holes marked the passenger side of the vehicle, with blood splattered across the console — signs that point to a calculated hit by a professional assassin.
On Thursday, the investigation widened to Parliament, where Were had spent much of the day attending sessions. He departed just before 7:00 p.m. with his driver and bodyguard, taking a route through City Hall Way and onto Wabera Street, where the vehicle briefly stopped.
During the stop, the bodyguard stepped into an M-Pesa shop to deposit Ksh.20,000 to the MP’s phone. CCTV captured a hooded man carrying a bag and observing the vehicle.
Footage shows the MP’s car leaving the area at 7:19 p.m., taking Kenyatta Avenue before diverting to Ralph Bunche Road and then joining Argwings Kodhek Road, trying to avoid traffic. Unbeknownst to them, they were being followed.
On Valley Road, they got caught in traffic. At 7:40 p.m., as the vehicle paused at a red light, the suspect approached on foot, circled the vehicle, and fired four close-range shots, striking the MP in the chest and hand. He then fled on the getaway motorbike toward the city center.
The MP’s bodyguard, who was in the back seat, said the attack took him by surprise. He ducked for cover and emerged moments later to chase the assailants but they had already escaped. He quickly rushed to assist the wounded MP, who was losing blood rapidly and crying out for help. Despite being rushed to Nairobi Hospital, Charles Were was pronounced dead on arrival.
The driver and bodyguard were unharmed in the brazen, under-a-minute attack carried out in broad daylight on a busy road.
Homicide investigators, led by Director Martin Nyuguto, visited the scene Thursday morning to reconstruct the incident. They recovered three bullet casings, now undergoing ballistic analysis.
Police later returned to Wabera Street, gathering CCTV footage from nearby shops that captured the suspect monitoring the parked vehicle.
In pursuit of leads, detectives have interrogated three individuals: the MP’s driver, bodyguard, and the M-Pesa agent. The investigation is now also looking into a possible political motive, with inquiries extending to Kasipul constituency.
