In recent days, Kenyans have been left both astonished and suspicious by the lightning speed at which investigations into the murder of Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were have unfolded. Suspects have been swiftly rounded up, arraigned in court, and the case appears to be moving with rare urgency.
For a country long accustomed to cold files gathering dust, this sudden efficiency is jarring — and it’s raising uncomfortable questions.
Why, many are asking, has justice in this case been served on a silver platter, while other high-profile murders remain unresolved years or even decades later? The cases of former Juja MP George Muchai, businessman Jacob Juma, and constitutional reformist Crispin Mbai, who was brazenly shot during Kenya’s push for a new constitution, continue to languish without clear answers. Their families still wait, and Kenyans still speculate.
The contrast could not be sharper.
A Pattern of Selective Justice?
Observers and legal analysts suggest that the sluggishness in past cases has less to do with investigative incompetence and more with political convenience. When murders touch on individuals believed to have crossed powerful political or business elites, the machinery of justice in Kenya has historically slowed to a crawl. Files go missing, witnesses recant or disappear, and the trail grows cold — often by design.
Jacob Juma, for example, was an outspoken critic of corruption within government ranks. His brutal assassination in 2016 sent shockwaves through the nation, but to date, no one has been held accountable. Similarly, Crispin Mbai’s killing in 2003, during a pivotal moment in Kenya’s constitutional history, was widely seen as politically motivated — yet no mastermind has been named, let alone convicted.
Why Is the Kasipul Case Different?
So why the speed now? Some argue that in Kasipul MP Were’s case, the murder appears to lack the protective political shield that has complicated other investigations. Alternatively, it may be that the current administration is keen to project a new image — that of swift, impartial justice — especially under increasing public pressure over rising crime and impunity.
Yet, this explanation does little to soothe those who see the pattern: when the politically expendable are killed, justice moves fast. When the victim is entangled in Kenya’s intricate web of power, the system stalls.
Is Kenya’s Justice System Politicized?
At the heart of this debate is a more troubling reality — the perception that Kenya’s justice system is not just flawed but selectively weaponized. Cases that rattle powerful interests are handled with kid gloves, while others proceed at breakneck speed to serve political optics or appease public anger.
Legal experts warn that until Kenya de-links its criminal investigations from political interference, the cycle will repeat. Selective justice erodes public confidence, fuels conspiracy theories, and undermines the rule of law.
As Kenyans watch the Kasipul case unfold with unusual efficiency, they are right to ask: why not the same energy and commitment in the cases of Jacob Juma, Crispin Mbai, and countless others?
Because justice, if it is real, must not only be done — it must be seen to be done. Equally. Every time.
By Newshub