Police link Aroko to MP Were's murder plot after meetings, threats

Police have identified politician and businessman Philip Nahashon Aroko as the central figure in the murder probe of Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were, who was fatally shot near City Mortuary in Nairobi on April 30.

Aroko will remain in police custody for seven days as detectives pursue leads linking him to the assassination plot.

Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Court declined a request from the police to detain Aroko for 30 days, instead granting a shorter period.

However, she approved a 20-day detention for three other suspects arrested earlier over the killing.

The three are William Imoli Shighali, Juma Ali Haikal, an Administration Police officer, and Douglas Muchiri Wambugu.

A fifth suspect, David Mihigo Kagame, was also taken into custody alongside the others.

Prosecutors told the court that Aroko became a key suspect following early investigations, which pointed to him as a person who had threatened the MP and also allegedly provided financial support for the murder plan.

"Evidence shows he was involved in organised meetings held in Homa Bay, Nairobi, and Nakuru that formed part of the planning stages preceding the MP’s assassination," the court heard.

Aroko’s court appearance came hours after a High Court order compelled the Inspector General of Police to produce him, dead or alive, after claims that he had disappeared.

The order was issued after a petition by lawyer Danstan Omari, who demanded his client be presented in court.

Lawyers Omari, Cliff Ombeta, and Samson Nyaberi had raised concerns that Aroko had been held incommunicado for four days.

Their push for answers led to his dramatic production at JKIA Court around 3 pm.

According to a statement presented in court by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Renson Ingonga, through a state counsel, detectives were analysing communication and financial records said to link Aroko to the murder.

Investigators believe funds were used to support a network of people involved in the killing, and that meetings were held in multiple locations to organise the attack.

The prosecution noted that detectives have yet to visit several key meeting sites for reconstruction and documentation.

Witness interviews and identifications are ongoing, with some individuals reportedly living in fear and reluctant to come forward.

The court also heard that MP Were had reported receiving threats believed to be from Aroko at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) regional office in Nairobi. Those reports were under investigation when the MP was gunned down.

Police described the incident as a "well-orchestrated crime" involving multiple suspects who communicated frequently in the days before and after the attack. In total, 10 people have been arrested so far in connection with the case.

Among them are Allan Ogola Omondi, the MP’s bodyguard, and Walter Owino Awino, his driver. Police claim both were in touch with key suspects around the time of the murder.

Another suspect, Ebel Ochieng alias Dave Calo, a neighbour of the MP in Kasipul, was also arrested.

Two more suspects—Edwin Oduor Odhiambo and Dennis Sewe Manyasi—were taken into custody in Nairobi’s Umoja II estate and in Nakuru.

Police say they are continuing to examine phone records and CCTV footage from the Integrated Command, Control, and Communication Centre (IC3) as well as privately installed surveillance systems.

Documents filed in court show investigators are using mobile phone triangulation and communication analysis to track connections between suspects. Some of the suspects were reportedly in contact before and after the shooting.

While seeking more time to hold Aroko, the prosecution said the extra days were needed to trace financial transactions and to ensure the safety of potential witnesses.

"Some witnesses are reportedly living in fear and have not yet come forward," the court was told.

Aroko objected to the 30-day detention request, telling the magistrate, "Thirty days is crazy. I have a family, I am on medication, and I need to visit my doctors for check-ups."

He also told the court, "There is a government, and I do not have the machinery to interfere with witnesses."

Meanwhile, suspect Dave Calo asked Magistrate Gichobi to recuse herself from the case, accusing her of bias.

The magistrate is expected to make a ruling on that request when the case is mentioned again on May 13.