The MP was killed four days after an attempt on the life of a member of the county assembly (MCA) from his constituency.
Detectives from the DCI’s Homicide Unit also began retrieving CCTV footage from buildings near the Nairobi Funeral Home area and the traffic cameras at the nearby roundabout.
The detectives, led by Homicide Director Martin Nyuguto, were at the Nairobi Funeral Home roundabout searching for evidence and clues that could help unravel the mob-style execution of the lawmaker.
Were was shot dead by a gun-wielding assailant on a motorcycle as his car pulled up at a red light traffic stop on the exit to Ngong road at 7.30pm, minutes after he had left Parliament.
Detectives comb crime scene, car after fatal shooting of Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were
He was confirmed dead on Wednesday night at a Nairobi hospital, where he was rushed after the shooting.
The MP had previously complained that his life was in danger, citing several violent incidents that marred his meetings in his constituency.
On February 8, the MP cited two incidents he claimed were orchestrated by external forces.
His family alleged a political motive to his murder. And speaking on Wednesday night moments after the lawmaker was killed, Rangwe MP Lilian Gogo sensationally claimed Were’s killer is known.
Grief and shock gripped Kachien Village in Kasipul on May 1, 2025, as heartbroken constituents and relatives gathered at the home of slain Member of Parliament Charles Ong'ondo Were.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo| Nation Media Group
“My brother-in-law was a stellar MP who never missed Parliament sessions. He had reported that his life was in danger. I want to say this with my eyes on the cameras, the perpetrator of this murder is known.
"There is a way violence is creeping into Homa Bay politics and this must be tamed by law enforcement authorities,” Ms Gogo said.
Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were killed by a gunman on Ngong Road
Were’s death followed an attempt to kill the youngest member of the Homa Bay County Assembly, 28-year-old Vickins Bondo, on the night of April 26, in Nairobi.
That night, Mr Bondo was accosted by armed attackers in Lucky Summer area. The MCA, his sister and his friends were walking when they were confronted by the attackers. One of the assailants fired a gun.
Mr Bondo sustained head injuries in the incident, and was treated and discharged.
The Nation confirmed that the Lucky Summer incident was not reported to Kasarani or Starehe police stations, which are the closest to the place Mr Bondo and his associates were attacked.
MP Charles Ong’ondo Were had publicly warned of threats to his life. He was gunned down by a motorcycle assassin near Nairobi Funeral Home, minutes after leaving Parliament.
Photo credit: File | Nation
A family source told the Nation that Bondo’s kin believe the attack may have been aimed at derailing his quest for investigations into the death of his father.
Mr Bondo’s father, Nicholas Aguk Oballa, was a chief inspector of police and in charge of traffic in the Embakasi area.
He was knocked down by a vehicle on February 7 when ushering the presidential entourage into the VIP wing of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Police records indicate that the death was the result of a hit-and-run incident, but Mr Bondo believes otherwise and has since been pushing for an investigation into the circumstances of his father’s death.
Grief and shock gripped Kachien Village in Kasipul on May 1, 2025, as heartbroken constituents and relatives gathered at the home of slain Member of Parliament Charles Ong'ondo Were.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo| Nation Media Group
The probe into Oballa’s death has been taken over by the DCI’s Homicide Unit after traffic investigators failed to trace the vehicle that killed him.
Were hailed from West Kasipul ward, where Mr Bondo is the MCA.
A team from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau is conducting a forensic analysis of Were’s phone in search of clues.
Were was seated at the back of a white Toyota Crown when two men on a motorcycle approached the vehicle. The pillion passenger drew a gun and executed the MP.
A driver and bodyguard who were in the car with the lawmaker were unharmed, indicating that it could have been a contract killing only targeting the MP.
Grief and shock gripped Kachien Village in Kasipul on May 1, 2025, as heartbroken constituents and relatives gathered at the home of slain Member of Parliament Charles Ong'ondo Were.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo| Nation Media Group
Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja said in a statement that Were’s killers may have trailed him. Through spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga, Mr Kanja said that investigations into the incident had been launched.
“The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and predetermined,” the police statement reads.
Preliminary investigations by Kilimani area police revealed that the attackers had been trailing the MPs vehicle.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said that investigations into the murder are at an advanced stage.
In February, Were expressed concerns over growing violence and unrest during public events in his constituency, and alleged that there was a plan to assassinate him. He added that unnamed individuals from outside his constituency were behind the violence and assassination plot.
His claims during a function in his constituency were recorded by some people attending the event and posted on social media platforms.
“When you hear I have been killed, Kasipul will not be the same again. But I know they won’t kill me because I have the Bible in my phone and another one under my pillow,” Were said at the time.
His family dismissed claims that the MP was violent and had blood on his hands, saying these accusations were part of a cover-up to ensure his killers get away.
Mr Paul Juma, his brother, said the lawmaker would publicly name the people he believed were after his life.
“He did not get any help despite mentioning those who wanted to attack him. We are asking for justice for our kin,” he said.
James Were, brother of the slain Charles Ong’ondo Were, speaks to journalists at the home of the lawmaker.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo| Nation Media Group
“Some people in the government may have been involved,” he claimed.
Mr Dalmas Otieno, the elder brother of the MP, also dismissed accusations that Were was violent.
