Kenyan police are investigating the fatal shooting of a Member of Parliament in Nairobi on Wednesday evening, describing the incident as a targeted and premeditated attack.
Charles Were, representing the Kasipul constituency in western Kenya, was killed at approximately 7:30 p.m. local time (1630 GMT) while his vehicle was stopped at a traffic light on Ngong Road, according to a police statement.
Witnesses reported that the assailant was a passenger on a motorcycle that pulled up alongside Were’s car. “The pillion passenger approached the vehicle and fired shots at the passenger side before jumping back onto the motorcycle and speeding away,” police said. “The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and premeditated.”
While Kenya is considered relatively stable in a region often plagued by civil conflict, political assassinations remain a rare occurrence.
Were was a member of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, led by veteran politician Raila Odinga. Odinga, who unsuccessfully ran against current President William Ruto in the 2022 elections, expressed his grief on social media platform X, stating, “Were is no more; mercilessly and in cold blood, gunned down by an assassin in Nairobi this evening.”
Odinga disputed the results of the 2022 election, citing irregularities. However, in recent months, Odinga and some of his allies have reached agreements to collaborate with President Ruto in addressing Kenya’s economic and political challenges.
