'I was paid Sh50k to follow his car,' protected witness testifies in Ong'ondo Were murder trial

A protected prosecution witness has delivered dramatic testimony in the murder trial of former Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were, telling the High Court that he was paid Sh50,000 to trail a vehicle linked to the slain politician shortly before his fatal shooting.

The witness, identified only by the pseudonym KAV under the Witness Protection Programme, appeared before Justice Diana Kavedza at the High Court in Kibera as the prosecution continued to build its case against those accused of orchestrating the killing.

How witness was paid Ksh. 50,000 to trail Ong’ondo Were’s vehicle.

The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) today strengthened his case in the murder trial of former Kasipul lawmaker Charles Ong'ondo Were after presenting a key prosecution witness under the Witness Protection… pic.twitter.com/ZtjQqfvk12

— Office of The Director Of Public Prosecutions (@ODPP_KE) July 14, 2026

Led by Senior Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Vincent Monda and a team of state prosecutors, the prosecution presented the witness as a key figure in reconstructing the events leading up to Were’s death on April 30, 2025.

According to testimony, KAV, a motorcycle rider, received a call on the morning of the incident from a person known to him offering what appeared to be a routine transport assignment.

He was initially directed to Huruma before another caller changed the meeting point to Nairobi's Jacaranda area.

Upon arrival, KAV was allegedly informed that he would earn KSh50,000 for the job. He was handed a new SIM card to be used exclusively for communication during the assignment but was not told the purpose of the operation.

The witness told the court that a man boarded his motorcycle and directed him to a sports facility in Buruburu. After a brief stop, the passenger returned in a white vehicle accompanied by another individual and instructed KAV to follow the car using his motorcycle.

The convoy later stopped at a petrol station along Jogoo Road where the motorcycle was refuelled before proceeding to Nairobi's central business district. KAV testified that they spent much of the day in the city before receiving fresh instructions in the evening.

As dusk fell, the witness said he was ordered to follow another white vehicle, different from the one they had been trailing earlier. The passenger remained on the motorcycle until they reached a designated location, where he got off and walked away.

Moments later, KAV told the court, he heard gunshots ring out.

Shortly afterwards, the same individual returned, climbed back onto the motorcycle and instructed him to ride to another location before they eventually separated.

The witness said he only realised the significance of the day's events after returning home. He received a call from the contact who had connected him to the assignment and was asked whether he had completed the job. After explaining where he had been, he was allegedly told to switch on his television.

News reports were already carrying reports of the fatal shooting of Ong’ondo Were.

KAV testified that the vehicle shown in the news closely resembled the one he had spent the evening trailing. The following day, he said, he met the same individual and received the agreed payment for his services.

He further told the court that the new SIM card used during the operation was destroyed and replaced with another one for future communication.

The testimony is among the most detailed accounts yet presented in court regarding the movements and activities surrounding the former legislator's killing.

Ong’ondo Were was shot dead by gunmen in Nairobi on the evening of April 30, 2025, in a killing that sent shockwaves across the country's political landscape.

The trial continues as prosecutors seek to establish the events and individuals behind the assassination.