NAIROBI — Kenyan opposition lawmaker Charles Were was shot dead in the capital on Wednesday night in what police have described as a “targeted and premeditated” killing.
The Member of Parliament, who represented the Kasipul constituency in western Kenya, was ambushed after his vehicle came to a stop at a roundabout along a major road in Nairobi, according to Africanews
According to a statement from police, Were was in the company of his driver and bodyguard when a motorcycle taxi approached the car.
A passenger on the motorcycle disembarked, walked up to the vehicle and opened fire on the MP before fleeing the scene.
Kenya’s President William Ruto condemned the attack on Thursday and called for a thorough investigation.
“Those responsible must be held to account,” Ruto said in a statement, urging law enforcement to act swiftly.
A member of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party was re-elected to Parliament in 2022.
He had been a prominent voice within the party, which is led by Raila Odinga.
Opposition leader Odinga mourned the death, describing Were as a “gallant son of the soil” and expressing his condolences to the MP’s family and constituents.
Odinga was President Ruto’s main rival in the 2022 general election. Although Kenya has experienced intense political divisions in recent years, tensions have cooled in recent months.
Last year, the country was rocked by a series of opposition-backed anti-government protests that resulted in dozens of deaths.
In a move toward reconciliation, Ruto later appointed some ODM members to his cabinet, and he and Odinga signed a political pact in March 2025 aimed at fostering national unity.
The motive behind the killing remains unclear, and no arrests have been reported as of Thursday evening.
