The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has revealed that they have identified the vehicle used to ferry the key suspects in the brutal murder of Kasipul Member of Parliament Charles Were.
In a statement released on Monday, May 5, the detectives also informed the public that they had established financial proceeds seemingly used to facilitate MP Were’s killing on Wednesday, April 30.
While not disclosing details about the make of the vehicle used, the DCI noted that the exhibits would be critical in solving the murder case, even as four suspects linked to the killing were arrested and arraigned in court.
“The investigation has yielded several key exhibits that are crucial to the case,” DCI stated.
“These exhibits-surveillance footage, the identification of the vehicle used to drop off the suspects, the financial proceeds found, and the connections to accompanying suspects-are pivotal in advancing the investigation and understanding the events surrounding Hon. Ong’ondo Were’s tragic murder,” they further noted.
Earlier on Sunday, while confirming the arrests, the National Police Service (NPS) linked Were’s murder to an Eastlands-based gang.
As per NPS, some of the arrested suspects are members of the notorious Mjahidin gang — an organised criminal group linked to a series of armed robberies in Nairobi’s Eastlands area.
The gang has been on the authorities' radar for some time concerning violent robberies within the city.
Before their arrest, DCI sleuths had expressed confidence that they would narrow in on the gunmen, citing a forensic reconstruction of the MP's last moments had directed them to crucial leads they believed would enable them to trace the killers.
Aside from the forensic reconstruction, the investigative body further noted that a “meticulous examination of the crime scene and collection of critical evidence” had contributed significantly to the investigation.
At the time of Were's death, he was in the company of his bodyguard and driver, both of whom were unharmed by the gunmen, who were riding a motorcycle. This led police to conclude that the murder may have been premeditated.
CCTV footage showing the slain MP’s final moments revealed that his alleged killers had been tracking him immediately after he left Parliament Buildings at around 7 p.m. Were was gunned down near the City Mortuary roundabout on Ngong Road.
An autopsy conducted by Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor later revealed that Were died of excessive bleeding. The MP suffered five gunshot wounds, with bullets tearing through his vital organs.
