Detectives are pursuing leads
on the man who killed Kaspul Member of Parliament Charles Ong’ondo at a traffic
jam in Nairobi wore a hood to hide his identity.
The killer also most likely
trailed the MP’s car from the Parliament Building to the scene where he was
shot dead, police said.
The killer was captured on
security cameras near where Were stopped to make financial transactions on his
way from the Parliament Building.
The man had a rider who was
riding him from Parliament Building to City Hall Way, Wabera Street, Kenyatta
Avenue, Jakaya Kikwete Road and later to Valley Road where the shooting
happened on Wednesday, April 30 at about 7.30 pm.
It is believed the killers
had insider information on the movement of the MP.
This is after it emerged Were
had abandoned his usual car and resorted to using the salon Toyota Crown, one
which he thought was more discreet.
But the killers seemed to
have information on the changes.
Detectives who visited the
last places where the MP spent his final day are now relying on CCTV footage and
witness accounts from his driver and bodyguard in pursuit of the killers.
On Thursday, detectives
extended their probe to the National Assembly, where Were had spent most of his
day attending to parliamentary duties.
The MP left Parliament
about 6.15 p.m., accompanied by his driver and bodyguard.
The vehicle was seen
heading towards City Hall Way before taking a turn onto Wabera Street.
It was along this street
that the MP’s car stopped.
His bodyguard briefly
stepped out, walking into an M-Pesa shop where he reportedly deposited Sh20,000
into the MP’s phone.
CCTV footage in the area
captured a man wearing a hood and carrying a bag who was monitoring the car.
The cameras also captured
the MP and his team leaving the area at 7:19 p.m. and joining Kenyatta Avenue.
The driver changed route
and joined the Jakaya Kikwete Road to evade traffic before joining Argwings
Kodhek Road.
It is suspected he stopped
briefly at a restaurant.
Unaware they were being
followed, they joined Valley Road, where there was traffic.
The same man who was
monitoring the car along Wabera Street was reportedly seen on top of a sports
bike trailing the vehicle closely, police say.
When the vehicle stopped
after the traffic lights at 7:40 p.m., he (suspect) disembarked, went around
the vehicle and went straight to his target.
He fired four shots at
close range, shattering the window and hitting the MP on the chest and hand.
The killer ran towards the
sports bike, and the rider took off, heading towards Nairobi CBD.
The bodyguard, who was
sitting behind the MP, told investigators that the shooting caught him
unawares, and he had to take cover before disembarking from the car to pursue
the attackers, who were long gone.
He ran after the killers in
vain, witnesses said.
He swiftly ran back to help
the MP, who was bleeding profusely and pleading for help.
They made a U-turn and
rushed him to Nairobi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
He had been shot at least
five times.
The driver and the
bodyguard escaped unhurt in an attack that took less than a minute on a busy
road.
Homicide detectives who
visited the scene on Thursday morning to reconstruct the events recovered three
spent cartridges, which will be subjected to ballistic examination.
Later, detectives camped
along Wabera Street where the MP was last spotted before his assailants shot
him dead.
The same gunman and his
rider are also said to have had lunch at a restaurant along Kimathi Street in
Nairobi.
Police have collected CCTV
footage from several shops in the area, which captured the suspect as he
monitored the vehicle that was parked next to an M-Pesa shop.
In their pursuit of the
killer, the detectives have questioned the MP’s driver, bodyguard, and the
M-Pesa attendant.
They also talked to the
staff at the restaurant.
The probe has also been
extended to Kasipul as police investigate whether his murder is politically
motivated.
Police say Were killing was
targeted and premeditated.
“The nature of this crime
appears to be both targeted and premeditated,” said police spokesman Michael
Muchiri.
Police want to know how the
killers knew the MP had changed cars for safety reasons.
