Businessman Philip Nahashon Aroko, who had been declared wanted by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), surrendered to police at Gigiri Police Station on Wednesday night in connection with the murder of Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were.
His surrender came just hours after the DCI issued a public notice naming him as a person of interest in the April 30 killing of the legislator. Were was fatally shot near the City Mortuary in Nairobi by an assailant on a motorcycle who fired five bullets into his vehicle before fleeing the scene.
Aroko, who has expressed political interest in the Kasipul parliamentary seat, denied involvement in the murder, instead accusing Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga of orchestrating his summons for political reasons. “The politics in Homa Bay have turned into madness… thuggery,” he said, pointing fingers at Wanga for allegedly influencing police action against him.
Police investigations have intensified in recent days, with the arrest of the MP’s driver and bodyguard among three new suspects taken into custody. Authorities also recovered two pistols, a bag, and shoes believed to be linked to the murder during a raid on a house in Chokaa, Embakasi East.
Earlier, four other suspects—believed to be affiliated with the notorious Mjahidin gang—were arrested in connection with the shooting. The gang is reportedly behind a series of violent crimes across Nairobi’s Eastlands.
MP Charles Ong’ondo Were’s assassination has rocked the political landscape in Homa Bay County and drawn national attention as police continue to piece together the motive and identify the masterminds behind the killing.