Kenya police say MP killing appears 'targeted and premeditated'

NAIROBI, KENYA - The killing of a Kenyan member of parliament, Charles Ong'ondo Were, in the capital Nairobi, appeared to have been targeted, police said.

The MP was shot by a passenger on a motorbike late Wednesday as he was in a car on the major Ngong Road which runs through the capital, according to eyewitnesses cited in the police statement released hours afterwards.

"The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and premeditated," National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said in the statement.

After the gunman fled on the motorbike, the driver of the vehicle rushed Were to Nairobi hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival, Nyaga said.

Neither the driver nor a male passenger, also in the car at the time of the incident, were hurt during the attack, the statement said.

"At this stage, it is too early to provide further details," Nyaga added.

The police service "condemns this heinous and senseless crime and will spare no effort in investigating the matter," he said.

President William Ruto expressed condolences to Were's family and constituents in a post on X.

"We urge the police to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident. Those responsible must be held to account," he said.

The speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula said the killing had "robbed the nation of a distinguished legislator".

He said in a Facebook post late Wednesday that Were was "a fearless advocate for his constituents, and a man deeply committed to the democratic ideals and service to the people he represented".

Were was a member of the Orange Democratic Movement, led by veteran politician Raila Odinga.

"We have lost a gallant son of the soil," Odinga said, reacting to the news of Were's death.

Odinga challenged the results of the 2022 election which he lost to Ruto, but has entered a political alliance with the president in recent months.

Were represented an area in Homa Bay county, a rural area in western Kenya.