Targeted in Traffic: Kenyan MP Assassinated in Chilling Motorcycle Shooting

In a chilling incident that has shocked the nation, Kenyan lawmaker Charles Were was fatally shot in what authorities have described as a targeted and premeditated attack. The shooting took place on Wednesday evening in Nairobi, as Were's car was stopped at a red light on Ngong Road.

According to a police report, the assassin was a passenger on a motorcycle that pulled up beside Were's vehicle. Witnesses say the gunman approached the car, fired multiple shots at the passenger side, and then quickly fled the scene on the same motorcycle, vanishing into the night.

The police emphasized the calculated nature of the attack, stating, “The pillion passenger approached the vehicle and fired shots at the passenger side before jumping back onto the motorcycle and speeding away… The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and premeditated.”

Political killings are highly uncommon in Kenya, a country known for its relative stability in a region often plagued by civil unrest. This brazen assassination has raised concerns about the safety of public officials and the potential implications for the nation’s political climate.

Charles Were served as a member of parliament for Kasipul constituency in western Kenya. He was also a member of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), headed by long-time political figure Raila Odinga. Odinga, reacting to the tragedy, took to X (formerly Twitter) and wrote: “Were is no more; mercilessly and in cold blood, gunned down by an assassin in Nairobi this evening.”

Odinga had challenged the results of the 2022 election, in which he lost to President William Ruto, alleging electoral irregularities. However, in recent months, he and some of his allies had begun to cooperate with Ruto in tackling Kenya’s mounting political and economic issues.

Were’s murder threatens to destabilize these recent efforts at unity and could ignite new tensions in an already delicate political environment. Investigations are ongoing as the country demands answers and justice.