On April 30, 2025, Kasipul Member of Parliament Charles Ong’ondo Were was tragically gunned down by unknown assailants in what appears to be a targeted assassination.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) lawmaker was reportedly ambushed near the City Mortuary roundabout along Ngong Road by two men riding on a motorcycle.

Eyewitnesses claimed one of the attackers alighted, approached Were’s Toyota Crown, smashed the passenger-side window, and fired multiple shots at close range before speeding off.

His driver and bodyguard rushed to Nairobi Hospital, but doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The brutal killing came just shortly after the MP had publicly voiced concerns that his life was in danger.

This incident adds to a series of high-profile political assassinations in Kenya’s history, where gunmen claimed the lives of leaders who had, in many cases, ruffled feathers with those in the corridors of power.

highlights some of the most prominent political assassinations Kenya has witnessed.

In May 2016, businessman and vocal government critic Jacob Juma was shot dead in Nairobi in circumstances that remain mysterious.

Juma was known for his hard-hitting commentary on corruption and had been involved in legal battles with the state.

Prior to his murder, he had publicly stated on multiple occasions that there was a plot to kill him.

On the night of May 5, gunmen on a motorcycle sprayed his Mercedes Benz with at least 10 bullets near Lenana School, before fleeing the scene. He died instantly.

His death was widely condemned with the blame being pointed at President William Ruto who was then deputy president.

Kabete MP George Muchai was assassinated on February 7, 2015, alongside his two bodyguards and driver in Nairobi’s Central Business District.

Their vehicle was rammed at a roundabout near Kenyatta Avenue before unknown attackers opened fire at close range.

Police revealed that the attackers stole a briefcase and the bodyguards' pistols.​

One of Kenya’s most shocking assassinations remains that of Tom Mboya, then Minister for Economic Planning and Development, who was shot on July 5, 1969.

Mboya, a key figure in President Jomo Kenyatta’s government and a potential successor, was gunned down on Government Road (now Moi Avenue) in broad daylight.

The assassin, Nahashon Isaac Njenga Njoroge, was arrested, tried, and later hanged.

Mboya’s death triggered national outrage and ethnic tensions, as he was seen as a unifying national leader with presidential ambitions.

To date, many believe the murder was part of a broader political conspiracy to eliminate his growing influence.

Following the lawmaker's murder, Kenyan legislators expressed deep sorrow over his sudden death.

Saboti MP Caleb Amisi recounted his final interaction with the late MP.

Amisi revealed that Were had hinted things were not going well and had promised they would talk in detail at a later date but it never came to be.

Source: TUKO.co.ke