The assassination of Kasipul Member of Parliament (MP) Charles Ong’ondo Were on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, has sent shockwaves through Kenya, a stark reminder of the violent episodes that have punctuated the nation’s political history.
Ong’ondo’s killing along Ngong Road in Nairobi adds his name to a sombre list of Kenyan legislators who have met their end at the hands of assassins since the country’s independence in 1963.
While the circumstances surrounding Ong’ondo’s death are still unfolding, his demise evokes memories of other prominent political figures whose lives were abruptly and violently cut short.
These assassinations have often left a legacy of unanswered questions and lingering national trauma.
Here are the Kenyan Members of Parliament who have been killed by assassins’ bullets over the years:
Pio Gama Pinto (Specially Elected Member) – 1965
Pinto, a pivotal figure in Kenya’s struggle for independence and a vocal socialist, was the first post-independence political assassination.
On the morning of February 24, 1965, he was ambushed in the driveway of his Nairobi home in Westlands.
As he sat in his car with his daughter, waiting for the gate to open, gunmen approached and shot him dead at close range.
His killing marked a chilling introduction to political violence in the nascent nation.
Tom Mboya (MP for Nairobi Central, now Kamukunji) – 1969
A charismatic and highly influential figure, serving as the Minister for Economic Planning and Development, Mboya was gunned down on July 5, 1969, in broad daylight on Government Road [now Tom Mboya Street] in Nairobi’s CBD.
Moments after stepping out of a pharmacy, an assassin shot him twice in the chest.
Mboya succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter, his death igniting widespread public grief and exacerbating existing political fault lines.
J.M. Kariuki (MP for Nyandarua North) – 1975
While the method of his death involved more than just gunfire, the disappearance and subsequent discovery of J.M. Kariuki’s body in March 1975 is widely considered a political assassination.
A popular and outspoken critic of the government, Kariuki vanished on March 2, 1975.
His remains, found later in the Ngong Forest, bore evidence of torture, including gunshot wounds and mutilation, underscoring a brutal end to a life that resonated with many ordinary Kenyans.
Robert Ouko (MP for Kisumu Town) – 1990
Robert Ouko, the then Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, disappeared from his farm near Kisumu in February 1990.
His body was later discovered at the base of Got Alila Hill by a herder.
Forensic analysis revealed he had been murdered by a single gunshot to the head.
The scene also suggested attempts to conceal the crime, with his leg broken and parts of his body burned.
The circumstances surrounding his death remain a subject of intense scrutiny and speculation.
George Muchai (MP for Kabete) – 2015
In a brazen early morning attack on February 7, 2015, George Muchai, the Member of Parliament for Kabete, was assassinated along Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi CBD.
His vehicle was rammed, and masked gunmen opened fire, killing him, his two bodyguards, and his driver.
While initial reports suggested robbery as a motive, the coordinated nature of the attack raised questions about potential political undertones.
Charles Ong’ondo Were (MP for Kasipul) – 2025
The latest addition to this tragic list is Charles Ong’ondo Were, the Kasipul legislator, shot dead on April 30, 2025, in Nairobi.
Details are still emerging, but the manner of his death, by gunfire, places him within this grim historical context of Kenyan political assassinations.
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.
The killings of these elected officials over the decades represent not only a profound loss for their families and constituents but also a troubling pattern of violence impacting the country’s political landscape.
As the investigation into Ong’ondo’s death unfolds, the nation is once again confronted with the enduring challenge of political violence and the quest for justice for those whose voices have been silenced by assassins’ bullets.
Martin Oduor
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