Politician and businessman Philip Aroko has been let go and will now speak as a state witness in the murder case of Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were.

Aroko was a suspect in the high-profile investigation, but the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reviewed the evidence and turned him into a key witness.

The businessman has consistently denied playing any role in the MP’s killing. His release and shift to a key witness role mark a major turn in the case, which has already seen three individuals charged with the murder.

Back in May, the court granted Aroko a cash bail of Ksh300,000 pending investigations.

Aroko appeared before Kibera High Court Judge Diana Kavedza for a mention of his case, where he was expected to learn whether investigations against him had concluded.

His release followed a submission by the prosecution, which informed the court that investigators needed Aroko’s written statement to complete their evidence collection.

The prosecution requested that Aroko be released under the same bail terms previously set by the JKIA court.

“With the seven days granted by the court, we have sufficiently covered the necessary areas during his time in custody,” the prosecution said.

Speaking for himself, Aroko told the court he would follow all they wanted and would surrender his passport at the Kibera Law Courts.

On May 20, 2025, the High Court overturned a ruling by the Chief Magistrate’s Court at JKIA that had relesed Philip Aroko on bail

Justice Diana Kavedza agreed to keep Aroko for seven more days, saying it was needed for the police to follow key clues.

She described the request as both reasonable and proportionate, given the sensitive and complex nature of the ongoing murder investigation.

The judge also said keeping him a bit longer was just to help the detectives wrap up key aspects of the case without infringing on Aroko’s basic rights.

He was subsequently held at Kileleshwa Police Station until May 26, 2025, as investigations continued.