A key prosecution witness in the ongoing murder trial of slain Kasipul MP Charles Ong'ondo Were has told the court how they were paid Sh50,000 to trail the lawmaker's vehicle before he was shot dead on March 30, 2025.
The witness, who is under the Witness Protection Programme for their safety, testified under the pseudonym KAV.
Testifying before Lady Justice Diana Kavedza at the Kibera High Court on Tuesday, the witness told the court that they were contracted for the assignment and paid Sh50,000.
Were was shot dead at around 7.30pm on March 30, 2025.
The shooting occurred along Valley Road outside Daystar University after Were's car stopped at a red traffic light at the Nairobi Funeral Home (City Mortuary) roundabout.
A lone gunman riding as a pillion passenger on a motorcycle approached the vehicle and opened fire in what police described as a targeted, premeditated assassination.
Were had just left the National Assembly after the day's legislative activities and was heading home towards Ngong Road.
Were was in a white Toyota Crown when he was shot dead. He was rushed to the Nairobi Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The witness, who worked as a motorcycle rider, told the court that on the morning of the shooting, they received a call from a known contact offering a driving assignment.
KAV said they were initially directed to Huruma estate on the outskirts of Nairobi before receiving a second call from an unknown individual who changed the meeting point to Jacaranda, a few kilometres away.
Upon arrival, KAV said the caller informed them that the assignment would earn Sh50,000.
However, KAV was not told the nature of the assignment.
The caller then handed KAV a SIM card to use for communication during the operation.
KAV testified that the individual boarded the motorcycle as a pillion passenger and directed them to a sports facility in Buruburu.
After a brief stop, the passenger left before returning in a white motor vehicle accompanied by another person.
KAV was then instructed to follow the vehicle on the motorcycle.
The witness told the court that the vehicle stopped at a petrol station along Jogoo Road, where the motorcycle was refuelled before proceeding to Nairobi's Central Business District.
Upon arriving in the CBD, KAV waited there for the rest of the day.
The witness said that in the evening, the individual who had offered the assignment boarded the motorcycle again and instructed them to trail another white motor vehicle, different from the one they had been following earlier.
The witness said the passenger remained on the motorcycle until they reached a designated location, where he alighted and walked away.
Moments later, KAV told the court, they heard gunshots before the individual returned, boarded the motorcycle and instructed KAV to ride to another location, where they eventually parted ways.
KAV said upon arriving at home, they received a call from the initial contact who had introduced them to the person who offered the assignment.
The witness said the caller asked where the job had been carried out.
KAV said they shared details of the assignment, after which the caller instructed KAV to switch on the television, where news of the legislator's fatal shooting was being broadcast.
The witness said they realised they had been at the crime scene and that the vehicle shown in the news was the same one they had been trailing.
KAV further testified that the following day, they met the same pillion passenger and received the agreed payment for the transport services rendered during the operation.
The witness told the court that the individual then destroyed the SIM card they had been using for communication and handed them a new one for future updates.
The hearing was adjourned and will continue on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
The testimony now strengthens the prosecution's case against the suspects linked to the murder.
Twelve suspects, including the alleged hitman, were arrested over the planning, financing and execution of the MP's murder.
Ong'ondo Were and the car he was riding in on the day he was shot dead.
