Investigations into the murder of Kasipul MP Charles Ongondo Were took a dramatic twist with the arrest of one of the board members of Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA).
The LBDA board member, believed to have paid the suspected killers, was arrested in Nakuru, hours after detectives recovered a pistol believed to have been used in the murder of Were in a major operation by police in Chokaa, Kayole.
Detectives pursuing the case link the murder to the rivalry between former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ahead of the 2027 general election.
The arrested LBDA board member is said to enjoy close working relations with a senior influential personality in the Office of the President. .
This increased to nine, the number of suspects in custody over the murder which happened on April 30, 2025 in Nairobi.
A ballistic test on one of the pistols recovered from a suspect on Tuesday turned positive as the killer weapon used on the MP.
The MP’s bodyguard and driver were arrested after being linked to a criminal gang that was involved in his assassination.
The two were arrested in Nairobi during a night-long operation that has seen the number of suspects arrested rise to eight.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen said the ongoing investigations involve trailing all suspects that will be mentioned as part of the probe.
The MP’s bodyguard, Allan Omondi Ogolla, and his driver, Walter Owino, are now in custody—the latest suspects to be netted in the expanding investigation.
The operation began in Mihang’o, Kayole, where police moved in swiftly on Dennis Sewe Munyasi, arresting him.
Munyasi led investigators to another key suspect—Edwin Oduor Odhiambo, known by the alias Abdi Rashid.
Further grilling of Edwin revealed more as he led detectives to his rented house nearby in Chokaa where a painstaking search began.
And there, hidden beneath a cabinet, officers uncovered two pistols and nine rounds of ammunition.
Ballistics experts confirmed one of the recovered weapons was the very firearm used in the deadly shooting that ended Were’s life.
Investigators also recovered a pair of shoes and a small bag believed to have been used by the suspects to conceal and carry the firearm used in the deadly shooting. The items were reportedly seen in CCTV footage captured on the fateful day.
It is Edwin and Dennis who reportedly revealed to police that the murder was part of a well-coordinated plan—one they say involved none other than Were’s bodyguard and driver.
These explosive claims echo earlier allegations made by the first suspect, William Imoli, who was arrested on Sunday.
Imoli told detectives he had been paid Sh80,000 by the MP’s driver to drop off unidentified individuals at a petrol station near the crime scene, just moments before the fatal shooting.
He claims that’s why his vehicle appeared in surveillance footage from the area—a detail now central to the investigation.
Detectives are now working to verify these accounts and match them with forensic findings.
In light of these developments, the arrest of the MP’s bodyguard and driver became inevitable, as the probe enters a critical phase.
Following their arrest, investigators proceeded to the bodyguard’s residence in Uthiru, where a search was carried out in pursuit of additional evidence.
As the net tightened, detectives also confiscated mobile phones belonging to both the bodyguard and the driver for forensic analysis, hoping to trace financial transactions that could link them directly to the suspected killers.
One of the suspects, William Imoli, had earlier alleged he received a down payment of Sh850,000, a claim partially substantiated after police recovered part of the money from his home in US dollars.
Investigators are now expanding their probe with a financial analysis targeting all potential suspects believed to be part of the criminal network responsible for the cold-blooded execution of Were.
As part of this widening investigation, authorities are turning their focus towards a senior government official, who is now a key person of interest.
Five of the suspects arrested on Wednesday are set to be presented in court on Thursday, while police continue to cast their net wider with Homa Bay County now in their sights for further possible arrests.
A Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Chief Magistrate court allowed the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to detain the four suspects for 30 days pending probe.
The body of the late MP will be airlifted to Homa Bay County on Thursday ahead of his burial on Friday in Kachien Village, Kasipul Constituency. The burial is expected to draw numerous high-ranking dignitaries and political leaders from across the country.
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