A wave of grief has engulfed Homa Bay County as the body of slain Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were was brought home on May 8, 2025, ahead of his burial set for Friday, May 9, in Kachien Village.
The body, flown from Wilson Airport to Kabunde Airstrip, was received by a massive crowd of mourners, including Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and several legislators. Among them was Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, both of whom stood through their car sunroofs leading a slow-moving procession escorted by a long convoy of vehicles.
Residents lined the roads, some in tears, forcing the motorcade to stop multiple times to accommodate the emotional crowds. Loud wails erupted at Kabunde Airstrip as mourners caught sight of the coffin.
Ong’ondo was shot dead last Wednesday along Ngong Road by a gunman who escaped on a motorcycle. Government pathologist Dr. Johansen Oduor confirmed that the MP was shot five times at close range, suggesting a planned assassination.
A public viewing of his body will take place before the burial. Meanwhile, police reported a breakthrough in the investigation, arresting three suspects, including a parastatal board member apprehended in Nakuru. Ong’ondo’s driver and bodyguard were also taken into custody. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations confirmed that ballistic tests matched one of two recovered firearms to the murder.
