Latest news with #OrangeDemocraticMovement
New York Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Lawmaker in Kenya Is Gunned Down by Motorcycle-Riding Assailant
A Kenyan lawmaker was gunned down on a busy Nairobi street by a motorcycle-riding assassin on Wednesday evening, in what the police described as a 'targeted and premeditated' attack. The lawmaker, Charles Were, who was serving a second term in Parliament, was in a vehicle stopped at a traffic light when he was killed, the police said. Witnesses reported that a person riding on the back of a motorcycle had hopped off and shot into the passenger side of Mr. Were's car before being whisked away by the motorcycle's driver, the police said. A motive was not immediately clear. Muchiri Nyaga, a police spokesman, said in a statement on Wednesday that it was too early for the authorities to provide additional details. President William Ruto of Kenya called on the police to 'conduct a thorough investigation' and expressed his condolences to Mr. Were's family. 'Those responsible must be held to account,' he said in a statement on Thursday. The police said the driver and another passenger in the car were unharmed in the shooting and quickly drove Mr. Were to Nairobi Hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. Mr. Were was re-elected to Parliament in 2022 as a member of the Orange Democratic Movement, the opposition party led by Raila Odinga, Mr. Ruto's main rival in the previous general election. Mr. Odinga, in a statement on Thursday, compared the daytime shooting to 'a gangland-style execution' that was 'shockingly barbaric.' Kenya has a reputation as a relatively stable nation in a volatile region. Frustration with the government hit a new high last year during deadly protests against a tax increase. Dozens of people were abducted or arbitrarily detained by security forces, according to activists and human rights groups. Mr. Ruto promoted the tax increase as a necessary measure to curb the country's staggering debt. A wealthy businessman who grew up poor, Mr. Ruto campaigned on a platform of improving the economy for Kenyans. His critics say that had not happened.
San Francisco Chronicle
01-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Kenyan opposition MP is killed in 'targeted' shooting
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A Kenyan opposition legislator was shot dead in the capital Nairobi in what police have described as a 'targeted and premeditated' crime. MP Charles Were was shot on Wednesday night after his car stopped at a roundabout on a busy major road. President Willian Ruto urged police to conduct a 'through investigation' and said Thursday that those responsible 'must be held to account.' Were was in the company of his driver and bodyguard when a motorcycle taxi approached their car, and a passenger disembarked and approached their car before firing at the MP, police said in a statement. The legislator was reelected in 2022 to represent Kasipul constituency in western Kenya for the Orange Democratic Movement party. Opposition leader Raila Odinga described Were as a 'gallant son of the soil.' Political tensions in Kenya have simmed down since last year, when the country saw a series of opposition-backed anti-government protests during which dozens of people died. Ruto later appointed members of Odinga's party to the cabinet and the two leaders signed a political pact in March this year.
Al Jazeera
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Kenya MP's killing appears ‘targeted and premeditated', police say
The fatal shooting of an opposition MP in Kenya appears to have been a targeted killing, police have said. Charles Ong'ondo Were was shot dead on Wednesday evening after his vehicle stopped at a traffic light on Ngong Road, in the capital Nairobi, according to police. Police said bystanders witnessed the passenger of a motorcycle open fire on the MP's car while it was stopped at the junction. 'The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and premeditated,' National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said in a statement. 'At this stage, it is too early to provide further details,' Nyaga added. Were served as a legislator for the constituency of Kasipul, in western Kenya, under the banner of the centre-left Orange Democratic Movement, which arose out of opposition to a 2005 proposal to replace the constitution with a text that critics said placed exorbitant power in the presidency. Kenya's Daily Nation newspaper reported that Were had 'openly complained his life was in danger'. Kenyan President William Ruto, allied with the centre-right United Democratic Alliance, expressed his condolences to Were's family and the people of Kasipul. 'We urge the police to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident,' Ruto said on X. 'Those responsible must be held to account.' Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who founded the Orange Democratic Movement, said Kenya had lost a 'gallant son of the soil'. Odinga challenged the results of the 2022 election after losing to Ruto, claiming in a petition to the Supreme Court that the poll had been tainted by 'premeditated unlawful and criminal subversion'. In March, Odinga and Ruto signed a memorandum of understanding to work together in a 'broad-based government'.
Eyewitness News
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Eyewitness News
Kenya police say MP killing appears 'targeted and premeditated'
NAIROBI, KENYA - The killing of a Kenyan member of parliament, Charles Ong'ondo Were, in the capital Nairobi, appeared to have been targeted, police said. The MP was shot by a passenger on a motorbike late Wednesday as he was in a car on the major Ngong Road which runs through the capital, according to eyewitnesses cited in the police statement released hours afterwards. "The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and premeditated," National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said in the statement. After the gunman fled on the motorbike, the driver of the vehicle rushed Were to Nairobi hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival, Nyaga said. Neither the driver nor a male passenger, also in the car at the time of the incident, were hurt during the attack, the statement said. "At this stage, it is too early to provide further details," Nyaga added. The police service "condemns this heinous and senseless crime and will spare no effort in investigating the matter," he said. President William Ruto expressed condolences to Were's family and constituents in a post on X. "We urge the police to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident. Those responsible must be held to account," he said. The speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang'ula said the killing had "robbed the nation of a distinguished legislator". He said in a Facebook post late Wednesday that Were was "a fearless advocate for his constituents, and a man deeply committed to the democratic ideals and service to the people he represented". Were was a member of the Orange Democratic Movement, led by veteran politician Raila Odinga. "We have lost a gallant son of the soil," Odinga said, reacting to the news of Were's death. Odinga challenged the results of the 2022 election which he lost to Ruto, but has entered a political alliance with the president in recent months. Were represented an area in Homa Bay county, a rural area in western Kenya.
01-05-2025
- Politics
Kenyan opposition MP is killed in 'targeted' shooting
NAIROBI, Kenya -- A Kenyan opposition legislator was shot dead in the capital Nairobi in what police have described as a 'targeted and premeditated' crime. MP Charles Were was shot on Wednesday night after his car stopped at a roundabout on a busy major road. President Willian Ruto urged police to conduct a 'through investigation' and said Thursday that those responsible 'must be held to account.' Were was in the company of his driver and bodyguard when a motorcycle taxi approached their car, and a passenger disembarked and approached their car before firing at the MP, police said in a statement. The legislator was reelected in 2022 to represent Kasipul constituency in western Kenya for the Orange Democratic Movement party. Opposition leader Raila Odinga described Were as a 'gallant son of the soil.' Odinga was President Ruto's main challenger in the 2022 general election. Political tensions in Kenya have simmed down since last year, when the country saw a series of opposition-backed anti-government protests during which dozens of people died. Ruto later appointed members of Odinga's party to the cabinet and the two leaders signed a political pact in March this year.
