Protected Witness: I Was Paid Sh50,000 to Trail Ong'ondo Were's Vehicle

Kenya, July 15, 2026 - A protected prosecution witness on Tuesday told the High Court in Nairobi that he was paid Sh50,000 to trail the vehicle of former Kasipul MP Charles Ong'ondo Were on the day the legislator was fatally shot.

Testifying under the pseudonym KAV as part of the Witness Protection Programme, the witness gave a detailed account of events leading up to the killing during proceedings before Justice Diana Kavedza at the Kibera High Court.

The witness said he received a phone call on the morning of the incident from a person known to him, offering him what appeared to be a routine motorcycle transport assignment.

He told the court he was initially instructed to proceed to Huruma but later received another call from an unknown person directing him to Jacaranda Estate, where he met the man who allegedly hired him.

According to the testimony, the man informed him that he would be paid Sh50,000 for the assignment and handed him an Airtel SIM card to be used for communication. The witness said he was not told the nature of the assignment.

The court heard that the man boarded his motorcycle before directing him to a sports facility in Buruburu. After a brief stop, the passenger returned in a white vehicle accompanied by another person and instructed the witness to follow the car on his motorcycle.

The convoy later stopped at a petrol station along Jogoo Road to refuel the motorcycle before proceeding to Nairobi's central business district, where they waited for several hours.

The witness testified that at dusk, the man again boarded the motorcycle and instructed him to follow a different white vehicle.

He said the passenger later alighted at a designated location and walked away. Moments later, the witness heard gunshots before the man returned, got back onto the motorcycle and instructed him to ride to another location, where they eventually parted ways.

The witness told the court that after arriving home, he received a call from the person who had introduced him to the assignment and was asked whether he had completed the job. He said he was then advised to watch television news, where he learnt that former MP Ong'ondo Were had been shot dead.

He told the court that the vehicle shown in the news resembled the one he had been instructed to follow.

The following day, the witness said he met the same individual and was paid the agreed Sh50,000.He further testified that the Airtel SIM card used during the operation was destroyed and replaced with another one for future communication.

The prosecution, led by Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Vincent Monda, alongside Senior Assistant Directors of Public Prosecutions Wangui Gikuyi and Sarah Ogweno, and Principal Prosecution Counsel Christine Timoi and Peris Maina, presented the witness as part of its case.

Ong'ondo Were was shot dead by gunmen on the evening of April 30, 2025

The trial is scheduled to continue on July 16, 2026