A murder suspect has told the High Court that they received KSh50,000 to help monitor the movements of former Kasipul MP Charles Ongondo Were on the day he was fatally shot, shedding fresh light on the events leading to the killing.
The suspect who turned to be a witness, identified only as KAV under the Witness Protection Programme, testified before Justice Diana Kavedza at the Kibera High Court on Tuesday.
According to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the witness explained that they unknowingly became involved in an operation that ended with the lawmaker’s murder.The court heard that the witness received a phone call on the morning of April 30, 2025, from someone they knew, offering what appeared to be a motorcycle transport job.
They were first instructed to travel to Huruma before the meeting location was changed to Jacaranda Estate.
After arriving, the witness said they were promised KSh50,000 for the assignment and given a different SIM card to use for communication.
They told the court they were not informed about the true purpose of the mission.
According to the testimony, the passenger directed them to a sports facility in Buruburu before briefly leaving and later returning in a white vehicle with another occupant.
The witness was then instructed to follow the vehicle.
The journey later took them through Jogoo Road, where they stopped to refuel, before proceeding to Nairobi Central Business District, where they waited for several hours.
The witness further stated that they were later instructed to abandon the first vehicle and trail another white vehicle through the city.
Moments after the passenger left the motorcycle, gunshots were heard.
The passenger soon returned, and the two left the area.
Later that evening, the witness was asked where the assignment had taken place and was instructed to watch television, where news reports confirmed that Ongondo Were had been shot dead.
The witness recognised the vehicle shown in the reports as the one they had been following.
The following day, the witness received the promised KSh50,000 before the SIM card used during the operation was destroyed.
The murder remains before the court, with five suspects facing charges over the killing of the former legislator.