Phone puzzle in MP Ong'ondo Were murder as four suspects arrested

Four suspects were arrested on Sunday in connection with the murder of Kasipul MP Charles Were. 

Police were hunting for more suspects in what they called the “targeted and premeditated” killing that was well planned and apparently relied on inside information that Were had switched cars for his security. He had complained that his life was in danger. 

The first prime suspect linked to the murder last Wednesday night was arrested in Dandora after being trailed in his car from United States International University area in Kasarani. He later led detectives to the hideout of his accomplices.

 Their names were not released.

Three motorcycles, including the one believed to have been used in the assassination, were recovered. A car was seized from the compound. Police believe it was used in the escape.

Were was shot at point blank range in his vehicle by a gunman near City Mortuary along Valley Road. The car was stalled in a traffic jam when the shooting took place at 7.30 pm. The shooter escaped on a waiting motorcycle, a sports bike. He changed to a car parked a few kilometres away and sped off towards Dandora. The shooting lasted less than a minute on the busy street.

The gunman and accomplices had been holed up in Dandora since Wednesday night. He had discarded the mobile phone he used.

 “We have a key suspect in the murder of the MP and we are making good progress,” DCI boss Mohamed Amin said.

Sources close to the investigation told the Star police have established that the prime suspect had been supplied with a new mobile phone and Sim card dedicated to the murder operation.

The police hope they can find the device that will reveal with whom he communicated before and after the killing.

 Efforts to trace the phone were underway, police said.

Police on Friday had debated how to handle the main suspect in Dandora as some feared he could be killed in case of a clash during the arrest. But after further analysis, they established the man was not armed, and decided to go for him.

The car that was seized is believed to have trailed Were from Parliament.

The gunman had parked it outside Parliament near Sheria House where he carried a bag that is believed to have contained the murder weapon, a pistol, police said. Investigators are yet to recover it.

The MP had changed cars for safety reasons and police want to know how the killers knew about the switch, which was not widely known.

The same car was captured on security cameras near Parliament Buildings, City Hall Way, Wabera Street, Kenyatta Avenue, and Jakaya Kikwete Road. These are the same roads the MP used while travelling from Parliament.

The team handling the case was urging the suspects to surrender the murder weapon, state the motive for the killing, name other accomplices and resources used during the mission.

The suspects have also been placed at all the routes the MP used before he was shot.

“The main suspect has been placed at key areas where the MP was. He is the one who pulled the trigger,” a detective aware of the probe said.

The triggerman wore a hood to hide his identity. 

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

The gunman was riding on the motorcycle from Parliament Buildings to City Hall Way, Wabera Street, Kenyatta Avenue, Jakaya Kikwete Road and later to Valley Road, where the shooting took place.

Detectives who visited the places where the MP spent his final day are relying on CCTV footage and witness accounts from his driver and bodyguard as they pursue more suspects. 

The team extended their probe to the National Assembly, where Were had spent most of his day attending to parliamentary duties. The MP left Parliament at about 6.15 pm, accompanied by his driver and bodyguard. They were not harmed in the shooting. 

The vehicle was seen heading towards City Hall Way before turning onto Wabera Street. The MP’s car stopped along the street. Then 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; he appeared to be monitoring the car.

The cameras also captured the MP and his team leaving the area at 7.19 pm 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 at the traffic lights at 7:40 pm, the suspect got off, walked around the vehicle then went straight to his target.

He fired four shots, shattering the window and striking MP Were in the chest and a hand. Then he ran, jumped onto the sports bike and the rider took off, heading towards the Central Business District.

The bodyguard, who was sitting behind the MP, reportedly told investigators that the shooting caught him unawares and he took cover cover before getting out of the car to pursue the attackers, who were long gone. He ran after the killers in vain, witnesses said.

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

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

Homicide detectives recovered three spent cartridges, which will be subjected to ballistic examination.

Later, detectives camped along Wabera Street where the MP was last spotted before the killing.

The same gunman and his rider are also said to have had lunch at a restaurant along Kimathi Street in Nairobi, police said.

 “The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and premeditated,” police spokesman Michael Muchiri said.