The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) on Tuesday, July 14, presented a protected witness before the High Court in Kibera as it continued prosecuting the murder case of former Kasipul MP Charles Ong'ondo Were.
In a statement, the ODPP said the witness, whose identity has been concealed under the Witness Protection Programme, testified before Justice Diana Kavedza, giving a detailed account of how they were allegedly recruited and paid Ksh50,000 to trail the late legislator's vehicle on the day he was fatally shot.
"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 Programme before the High Court at Kibera," the statement read.
During the proceedings, KAV recounted receiving a call on the morning of the incident from a familiar contact who offered them what appeared to be a routine transport assignment.
"The witness told the court that on the morning of the incident, they received a call from a known contact who offered them a driving assignment," the statement added.
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The witness, who works as a motorcycle rider, said they were first instructed to travel to Huruma before receiving another call that redirected them to Jacaranda, where the meeting point was changed.
"As a motorbike rider, they were initially directed to Huruma, a Nairobi suburb, before receiving another call from an unknown individual who changed the meeting point to Jacaranda, a few kilometres from the initial meeting place," the statement continued.
According to the testimony, upon arriving at the new location, KAV was informed that the assignment would earn Ksh50,000.
The witness was handed an Airtel SIM card to facilitate communication during the operation but was not told the purpose of the assignment.
KAV said the individual boarded the motorcycle before directing them to a sports facility in Buruburu, where the passenger briefly left and later returned in a white motor vehicle occupied by himself and another person.
The witness was then instructed to follow the vehicle using the motorcycle.
The witness further testified that both the motorcycle and the vehicle later stopped at a petrol station before proceeding into Nairobi's Central Business District.
"According to the testimony, the motorbike and the car later stopped at a petrol station along Jogoo Road in Nairobi to refuel the motorcycle before proceeding to Nairobi's Central Business District," the statement further read.
KAV told the court that after spending the entire day in the CBD, the individual once again boarded the motorcycle at dusk and instructed them to follow a different white vehicle.
"Upon arrival in the CBD and waiting for the whole day for the assignment, KAV’s boss again boarded the motorcycle at dusk and instructed them to trail another white motor vehicle, different from the one they had been following earlier," the statement noted.
The witness said the passenger eventually got off the motorcycle at a designated location and walked away before gunshots were heard moments later.
According to the testimony, the individual then returned and instructed KAV to ride away from the scene before they eventually separated.
"Moments later, KAV heard gunshots before the individual returned, boarded the motorcycle and instructed the witness to ride to another location, where they eventually parted ways," the statement read.
KAV further testified that after returning home, the person who had initially connected them to the assignment called to ask where the job had been carried out.
After sharing the location, the contact advised the witness to watch television news, where reports showed that Were had been killed.
KAV told the court they recognized the vehicle shown in the news as the one they had been instructed to trail.
The witness also told the court that they met the same individual the following day, received the agreed payment for the transport services and witnessed the destruction of the Airtel SIM card that had been issued for the assignment before being given another one for future communication.
"KAV also told the court that they met the same individual the following day and received payment for the transport services rendered during the operation as agreed. The individual also destroyed the Airtel simcard and gave them a new Airtel simcard for further updates," the statement concluded
The trial is set to continue on July 16.
Elsewhere, the High Court has sentenced Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldier Peter Mwaura Mugure to life imprisonment after finding him guilty of murdering his wife and their two children.
In delivering the sentence earlier Tuesday, the trial judge described the killings as barbaric and ruled that the circumstances of the crime warranted the maximum custodial sentence.
The sentence came after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) secured Mugure's conviction on three counts of murder.
The High Court in Nyeri found that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, concluding a trial that stemmed from the killings committed in October 2019.
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