Raila recalls moment Ong’ondo Were fled into his car to escape pursuers
ODM leader Raila Odinga, speaking at the burial of slain Kasipul MP Ongondo Were on Friday, May 9, 2025, vividly recalled the chilling moment earlier this year when Were, fearing for his life, sought refuge in his car as he fled from some pursuers who had the intention of harming him.
The former Prime Minister painted a stark picture of the unsettling encounter, revealing how, moments after a public function they were both attending, Were rushed to him with urgency, signalling that danger was very close.
“Earlier this year, we attended a function, and when the event ended, Ong’ondo rushed to my car. He squeezed himself into the vehicle and told me that some people had been following him there. He didn’t say much at the time, but warned me that these people had bad intentions. ‘I won’t tell you now, but I’ll explain later,” he said.
The ODM leader, who spoke tenderly about the deceased MP, then added that Were knew clearly who the pursuers were and insisted that they were the same people who finally assassinated him on April 30, 2025.
According to him, the trailers were people who were close to Were and were probably part of his inner circle, and he will stop talking about how heinous the MP’s murder was once the authors of the barbaric act are brought to book.
“So, these people had been trailing him for a long time, and they were people he knew very well. He knew them, and I believe the police investigations will eventually lead to these people, and they will be apprehended.”
Further, Raila said that he was speaking with palpable anger, fully aware that some of those arrested were merely foot soldiers in the act and not the true architects behind the heinous assassination.
“Yes, some of them have already been arrested, but those are basically the agents who were hired to carry out the crime. The real mastermind behind this crime must be brought to justice,” he added.
Were’s contributions
Raila also spoke fondly of Were’s contributions to his party and the country, saying he was a good leader who had loved peace and unity and had played a role in unifying Meru, which had been reeling on the verge of disunity and wrangles.
He shared that he had known Were for close to 20 years and insisted that he had chosen to live in Meru and only came to Kasipul at his invitation.
According to Raila, Were was the definition of a man who, during his life, lived by the words he said, and the country will dearly feel the impact of his loss and miss him dearly now that he has passed on.
“I’ve known Were for over 20 years, and he was living in Meru. I was the one who invited him to come and live here. By all standards, he was a good person, a man of few words who always did the right thing. When I went to Meru, he introduced my party to the area and also introduced me to other leaders there.”
