Suspect in the murder of Kaspul MP Ong'ondo Were arrested in Nairobi

A suspect linked to the macabre murder of Kaspul Member of Parliament was arrested on Sunday morning in Nairobi.

Detectives handling the probe said they also recovered a car that the suspect and his accomplices were using in their mission.

The car was used in escaping from the scene after the shooting near City Mortuary along Valley Road, detectives said.

The same car has been captured on security cameras near Parliament Building, City Hall Way, Wabera Street, Kenyatta Avenue, Jakaya Kikwete Road, Argwings Kodhek Road and Valley Road.

These are the same roads the MP used from Parliament before he was shot and killed at point-blank range.

Director of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin, confirmed they have what he termed a breakthrough in the probe with the arrest of the suspect.

“We have one key suspect and we are looking for more,” he said.

He said detectives are pursuing a murder.

The team handling the case was talking to the suspect to surrender the killer weapon, state the motive, his accomplices and the motorcycle they used at some point.

The suspect has also been placed at all the routes that the MP used before he was shot on April 30, 2025.

The murder has caused tension in ODM, with some leaders there demanding the arrest of the killers.

The gunman who pulled the trigger killing, Were at a traffic jam in Nairobi wore a hood to hide his identity. 

The killer was captured near where Were stopped to make financial transactions on his way from the Parliament Building. 

The man had a rider 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. 

They also had a car that they used in escaping, detectives have revealed.

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 more accomplices. 

On Thursday, detectives extended their probe to the National Assembly, where Were had spent most of his day attending to parliamentary duties. 

According to reports, 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 Jakaya Kikwete Road to evade traffic before joining Argwings Kodhek Road. 

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 following the vehicle closely. 

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, reportedly 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 then swiftly ran to help the MP, who was bleeding profusely and pleading for help.

They rushed him to Nairobi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. 

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 several people, including the MP’s driver, bodyguard, and the M-Pesa attendant.

The probe has also been extended to Kasipul in Homabay as police investigate whether his murder is politically motivated.

Police say the killing was targeted and premeditated.