In a stunning twist in the ongoing investigation into the brutal assassination of Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were, businessman Philip Nahashon Aroko has been released from custody and is set to become the prosecution’s star witness, shifting from a key suspect to a pivotal figure in unravelling the case.
Aroko’s dramatic legal transformation is expected to reshape the courtroom narrative around the high-profile killing, which sent shockwaves through the political landscape after the MP was gunned down on April 30, 2025, on Ngong Road near City Mortuary roundabout.
“The application is found to be merited,” ruled Justice Diana Kavedza on May 20, 2025, at the Kibera Law Courts, supporting the prosecution’s earlier plea for extended detention.
The businessman had previously been detained at Kileleshwa Police Station, following a High Court order overturning bail that had been granted by the Chief Magistrate’s Court at JKIA. Prosecutors had argued his release at the time would risk witness interference or disruption of investigations.
Despite consistent denials of involvement in the murder, Aroko is now expected to testify for the state, potentially providing insight into what detectives have described as a complex criminal conspiracy.
According to detectives from the DCI Homicide Unit, the MP left Parliament Buildings at around 7:00 p.m. accompanied by his driver and bodyguard. Their route took them to City Hall Way and then onto Wabera Street, where the MP’s vehicle briefly stopped.
Moments before the attack, the MP’s bodyguard entered an M-Pesa shop to deposit KSh 20,000 into Were’s mobile account. It was during this brief window that a lone gunman on a sportbike pulled up and shot the MP four times at close range, killing him instantly.
The attack occurred in one of the capital’s busiest zones and was captured in part by nearby CCTV cameras, which have since become crucial in the investigation.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has been working with forensic experts and witnesses, including the MP’s driver and security team, to track the killer’s escape.
