Bodyguard, driver were in contact with MP Charles Were’s killers- Police

A court sitting at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) has heard that the slain Kasipul MP Charles Ong'ondo Were’s bodyguard and driver were in communication with the assailants before his murder.

The prosecution informed Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi that it was necessary to detain the three suspects—bodyguard Allan Omondi Ogolla, driver Walter Owino, and a third suspect, Dennis Sewe—as their phones and communication records showed links to the planners of the incident.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) indicated that it would reduce the requested detention period from 30 to 20 working days.

While granting the police application, Magistrate Gichobi noted the seriousness of the offence and the need for thorough investigations.

“I have considered submissions from both the prosecution and the suspects. I direct that Allan Ogolla be remanded at Pangani Police Station, Walter Owino at Kiambu Police Station, and Dennis Sewe at Embakasi Police Station,” she ruled.

According to an affidavit filed in court, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had initially sought to remand Ogolla, Owino, Lake Basin Development Authority Director Ebel Ochieng alias Dave Colo, Edwin Oduor, and Dennis Sewe at various police stations across Nairobi for 30 working days.

However, Ochieng and Oduor have since asked the magistrate to disqualify herself from the case. A ruling on that application is expected on May 14.

Inspector Oliver Nabonwe, in court documents, requested that all mobile phones and SIM cards recovered from the suspects be subjected to forensic analysis.

He said investigators believe the bodyguard and driver were in communication with the assailants before and after the fatal shooting, in what police allege was a “well-coordinated and premeditated crime”.

The DCI is also analysing several hours of CCTV footage from the Integrated Command and Control Centre (IC3) and possibly from private cameras along the route taken by the deceased before his death.

“Through mobile phone triangulation and witness interrogation, it has been established that the respondents were in constant communication with each other and other accomplices immediately before, during, and after the murder. They were also present in the vicinity of the crime scenes that the deceased’s car passed through,” the documents read.

Inspector Nabonwe added that preliminary interviews with the suspects revealed they possess crucial information that could help unravel the case and lead to more arrests.

During the arrest of the bodyguard and driver, police recovered two pistols, nine rounds of live ammunition, a bag, and footwear matching that worn by one of the suspects at the scene. These firearms and ammunition are yet to be submitted for ballistic examination.

The documents also noted that several witnesses, including some in Kasipul Constituency, Homa Bay County, are yet to give their statements. Several related scenes of interest have also not yet been visited for evidence collection.

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• driver were in contact with MP Charles Were’s killers- Police

“There is a need to conduct further interviews at the home and workplace of the deceased, including his parliamentary office, to better understand his final hours and movements,” the DCI stated.

Were was shot dead on April 30 while driving near the City Mortuary roundabout along Valley Road in Nairobi County.

He had reportedly been trailed by a vehicle and a motorbike from Parliament to the location where he was killed.

The suspects requested that the court grant them 15 days of detention instead of 30. Owino also asked to be escorted to collect his ATM card so he could provide financial support to his family.