Saboti Member of Parliament Caleb Amisi has shared a heartbreaking tribute to his colleague, Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were, who was shot dead on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, in Nairobi.
In a statement shared via his X account on Wednesday night, Amisi revealed that just hours before the tragic incident, he had spent time with the late MP inside Parliament. They had chatted and laughed together before his tragic death.
“I was with my colleague just this afternoon in Parliament, chatted, laughed, and he told me ‘I need a conversation with you, mambo si mazuri.’ His exact words. Five hours later, he is no more. The news is shocking,” Amisi posted.
Ong’ondo’s tragic death
Reports indicate that Ong’ondo was attacked by two gunmen who had been trailing his vehicle on a motorbike. As he reached the junction near Nairobi Funeral Home, formerly City Mortuary, the pillion passenger disembarked and shot him at close range. The assailants then fled the scene.
The MP was rushed to a City Hospital but succumbed to his injuries. His driver survived the attack and is reportedly recovering.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party, under which Ong’ondo served, issued a statement expressing shock and sadness over the incident.
“We have received with shock and disbelief the tragic death of the Hon. Charles Ong’ondo Were – MP Kasipul – at the hands of a gunman along Ngong Road, Nairobi this evening,” ODM stated.
Adding;
“Were was in Parliament for the better part of the day and left at 6:15 pm after participating in the day’s business. While we join his constituents, the people of the great county of Homa Bay, his family, colleagues, and friends in mourning, we call on the police to investigate the shooting incident and bring the culprits to book. We shall issue a comprehensive statement in due course.”
Ong’ondo’s death follows recent warnings he had made about rising political tension in his constituency. He had spoken out about the growing wave of political intolerance and violence in Kasipul.
In February 2025, he reported that individuals had been ferried into his constituency from various parts of the country, including Nairobi, by political rivals hoping to unseat him in the 2027 elections.
“At first, I was attacked at Kalando area during a funeral service,” Ong’ondo had said on February 9, 2025.
Adding;
“Second time, my vehicle was deflated by known goons, who knifed the occupants and even abducted one of them at around 2 pm, then released at midnight, and he is recuperating well.”