A boda boda rider was arrested on Tuesday night in Nairobi’s Kibera area in connection with the murder of Kasipul Member of Parliament Charles Ong’ondo Were.
According to police reports, the rider admitted to transporting the suspected assassin from the Parliament buildings to the murder scene and back.
Authorities also recovered the motorcycle believed to have been used during the operation from the rider’s residence in the Laini Saba area.
The suspect claimed he was unaware that the target was a Member of Parliament and told investigators he had been paid KSh50,000 for the job.
After completing the trip involving the suspect—from Parliament to the scene and back—the rider said he picked up another passenger in Kiamaiko before returning to Kibera, where he had continued with his daily routine until his arrest.
Baraza’s arrest increases to 12 the number of suspects in custody over the murder of the MP on April 30 along Valley Road near City Mortuary.
A team investigating the saga said Baraza was the missing link in the matter and vowed to nab more suspects mentioned in the same.
He will be presented in court on Thursday, the police said.
Another prime suspect identified as Isaac Kuria, alias “Kush”, was over the weekend arrested in Isebania at the Kenya-Tanzania border while planning to flee the country.
Kuria is suspected to have been part of the gang that carried out the hit on the late MP before staging a calculated escape.
Kuria, who is reportedly linked to a criminal network operating within Nairobi, is believed to have traveled to the Central Business District on the day of the murder with the assassination mission.
Mobile phone triangulation has placed him at various primary crime scenes.
He was on the motorcycle that was involved in the attack as a pillion passenger.
After the attack, Kuria is said to have fled to Mihango in Kayole where he disposed of the murder weapon, which has since been recovered by police, and ballistic tests confirmed it was used. He then embarked on a journey to Narok by another motorbike to evade police detection.
He left his motorcycle in Narok and hopped onto a public service vehicle to Isebania.
He has been in communication with a relative in Tanzania, coordinating an escape plan, police say.
Detectives, who were monitoring communications between Kuria and other suspects already in custody, tracked and arrested him at a local lodging in Isebania.
Among those already detained are Were’s bodyguard Allan Omondi, his driver Walter Owino, and William Imoli, who is believed to have played a central role in planning and financing the assassination on behalf of others who have not been arrested.
Others include businessman and politician Phillip Aroko and Lake Basin Development Authority Director Ebel Ochieng—both alleged financiers—along with Edwin Oduor and Dennis Manyasi.
They have all been detained between 20 and 30 days to enhance investigations.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has indicated that efforts to apprehend other individuals believed to have been involved in the planning and execution of the murder are ongoing.
Detectives are also analyzing financial transactions connected to the suspects, which may shed light on the motive behind the assassination.
Were was gunned down in traffic in what police believe was a well-orchestrated political hit.
Police say cash recovered from some of the suspects was the proceeds of the crime.
Some of the suspects have confessed they were paid in US dollars to eliminate the MP.
Inspector General of police Douglas Kanja said the cash recovered is part of the exhibit they have as evidence in the case.
“Other exhibits collected at the initial stages of the investigation include surveillance footage capturing critical moments before and after the incident, Identification of a vehicle used to transport the suspects to the crime scene, and financial proceeds linked to the suspects.”
“These exhibits are undergoing forensic analysis to further strengthen the case and clarify the circumstances surrounding Were’s murder,” he said.
One of the suspects arrested had Sh615,000 in his house in Nairobi, believed to have been paid for the mission. Detectives are trying to establish the source of the money, which was in US dollars and the motive.
The police said the murder was planned way before its execution, with meetings within and outside Nairobi.
