In a breakthrough, investigators are calling crucial, Kenyan police have confirmed they have recovered the gun used to kill Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were.
The pistol was seized during a raid on Wednesday and has been directly linked to the shooting through forensic tests, according to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja.
“The ballistics report we received unequivocally links the Sarsilmaz pistol recovered from the residence of one of the suspects to the fatal shots that took his life,” Mr Kanja said, speaking to journalists in Nairobi.
The weapon was one of two pistols found in a house tied to two suspects—identified as Edwin Oduor Odhiambo, also known as Abdul Rashid, and Dennis Sewe Munyasi. Officers also recovered a bag and footwear that allegedly matched items worn by one of the suspects at the crime scene.
MP Were was gunned down in Nairobi traffic on the evening of April 30. A gunman fired multiple shots from the left side of the MP’s vehicle before fleeing with an accomplice on a motorbike.
An autopsy carried out by Chief Government Pathologist Dr Johansen Oduor on May 2 found that Mr Were had been shot five times. Two bullets were removed from his body, and another was retrieved from the vehicle. All were matched to the recovered pistol.
The same weapon has also been linked to three armed robberies in Nairobi and Kiambu counties, police say.
Odhiambo and Munyasi, arrested at an undisclosed location, later led detectives to the house where the firearms were found.
Meanwhile, four other men suspected of being part of the ‘Mjahidini’ gang—an organised group known for armed robberies in Nairobi’s Eastlands—are also in custody. They were arrested on May 4 and have since appeared at the JKIA Court, where a magistrate granted police a 30-day custodial order to allow more time for investigations. Their case will be mentioned on June 5.
The number of suspects now stands at ten.
Among those questioned is Philip Nahashon Aroko, a politician and businessman from Homa Bay. He was summoned by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations on Wednesday and later presented himself at Gigiri Police Station. His lawyer, Danstan Omari, told reporters that Mr Aroko denied any role in the killing.
“He is innocent and willing to cooperate fully with the investigations,” Mr Omari said outside the DCI headquarters.
Aroko is expected to be interrogated further today.
Detectives say they are piecing together the MP’s final movements—from Parliament to the scene of his death. The late MP’s driver and aide, both currently in custody, are assisting with the inquiry.
As the investigation deepens, the police have vowed to hold every accomplice accountable. But questions remain—how did a sitting MP end up in the crosshairs of what appears to be a well-organised hit?
