Fresh details have emerged surrounding the assassination of Kasipul Member of Parliament, Charles Ong’ondo Were, as four key suspects were on Monday formally presented before the JKIA Magistrate’s Court for the first time.
Magistrate Irene Gichobi granted the prosecution’s request to detain the suspects for an additional 30 days to allow investigators to finalize their inquiries.
According to prosecution counsel Allen Mulama, the extension is crucial for pursuing critical leads, including the pursuit of additional suspects—among them a police officer believed to have played a central role in orchestrating the killing.
Investigators revealed that the officer allegedly used a newly registered mobile number, now deactivated and registered under a false identity, to coordinate with the assailants.
Among those arraigned was William Imoli Shighali, alias Omar Shakur, who police allege fired the fatal shot. Imoli, who reportedly has links to the extremist Mujahidin gang, was arrested at Zeitun Lounge in Roysambu alongside two other suspects—Douglas Muchiri Wambugu and David Mihigo Kagame.
The trio subsequently led detectives to the home of an administration police officer, Juma Ali Hikal, where a vehicle believed to have been used in the assassination was recovered.
Court documents indicate that the suspects were in communication before and after the assassination. CCTV footage, which investigators described as pivotal, showed Imoli trailing MP Were along Nairobi’s Wabera Street. He was seen carrying a bag believed to have concealed the murder weapon and wearing police boots later found at Officer Hikal’s residence.
A search of Hikal’s home uncovered ammunition, teargas canisters, and other paraphernalia now under forensic analysis. At Imoli’s residence, detectives recovered several police uniforms, over USD 4,800 in cash, and multiple mobile phones currently being examined for evidence.
“Thousands of minutes of CCTV footage have been reviewed in an attempt to reconstruct the final moments of the late MP,” said Mulama during the court session. “Nine live rounds of ammunition and teargas canisters were also found at the second respondent’s home.”
Investigators believe the killing may have been orchestrated by an organized criminal network with access to significant financial resources. Authorities are also pursuing several other suspects, including a boda boda rider alleged to have facilitated the assassins’ escape and individuals believed to have communicated with the core suspects.
The investigation, described as highly complex, is expected to intensify in the coming weeks, with planned follow-up operations in Homa Bay County and beyond.
