It wasn’t just the bullets that shook the nation; it was the chilling audacity of the timing. When Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were was gunned down in gridlocked Nairobi traffic on April 30, the illusion of safety for Kenya’s political class didn't just crack—it shattered. The killers didn’t wait for the cover of darkness. They didn’t mask their movements. They simply pulled up on a motorcycle, finished the job, and vanished into the city’s exhaust fumes.

2025 will be remembered not merely for its political noise, but as the year the "boda boda hit squad" returned with lethal precision. In a span of eight months, the country witnessed a series of targeted executions that claimed the lives of a sitting lawmaker and a high-profile lawyer, reviving ghosts of a past many Kenyans thought were buried. As the year draws to a close, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) faces mounting pressure to prove that these were isolated crimes and not, as many fear, the work of an organized syndicate for hire.

The Ngong Road Ambush

The murder of Charles Ong’ondo Were was the turning point. At 7:30 PM on a Wednesday, the MP’s white Toyota Crown was idling at the traffic lights near the City Mortuary roundabout—a spot teeming with commuters and hawkers. Witnesses described a scene straight out of a noir thriller: a motorcycle weaving through the jam, the pillion passenger dismounting with calm deliberation, and the sudden crack of gunfire that silenced the bustling intersection.

Police reports indicate the assailants fired multiple rounds at close range, specifically targeting the passenger side where the MP sat. "The nature of this crime appears to be both targeted and premeditated," police spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga confirmed hours later. But for the average Kenyan, the statement offered little comfort. If a legislator, protected by the trappings of power and situated on one of the capital's busiest arteries, could be executed in plain sight, what chance did the common mwananchi have?

The Karen Execution

If Ong’ondo’s death was a public spectacle, the assassination of lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu was a message sent to the legal fraternity. On September 9, Mbobu was driving along Magadi Road in the upscale Karen suburb when he was ambushed. The modus operandi was terrifyingly identical: gunmen on a motorcycle, a drive-by shooting, and a clean getaway.

Mbobu, known for handling sensitive civil cases, became the latest statistic in a grim ledger that includes the 2024 killing of Wells Fargo HR Manager Willis Ayieko. The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has since issued scathing statements, demanding not just investigations but an overhaul of the security apparatus. "We are witnessing the normalization of extrajudicial execution," a senior LSK official noted during a vigil held outside the Supreme Court.

• April 30, 2025: MP Charles Ong’ondo Were killed on Ngong Road.
• September 9, 2025: Lawyer Mathew Kyalo Mbobu shot dead in Karen.
• Context: These follow the 2024 murders of Magistrate Monica Kivuti and Willis Ayieko, suggesting a deepening crisis in security for judicial and corporate figures.

The Shadow of Impunity

Security analysts point to a disturbing trend: the commodification of violence. The use of motorcycles—ubiquitous and anonymous in Nairobi traffic—has made the "hit" cheaper, faster, and harder to trace. While the DCI has made arrests in connection with the 2024 Ayieko case, the masterminds behind the 2025 wave remain largely elusive. The fear is palpable; high-net-worth individuals are reportedly increasing their private security budgets, with some firms seeing a 40% spike in demand for close protection officers.

As families prepare for the festive season, the empty seats at the tables of the Ong’ondo and Mbobu families serve as a grim reminder. The promise of security is the first contract between a government and its people. In 2025, that contract feels perilously frayed. Until the "faceless assassins" are unmasked, Nairobi will remain a city looking over its shoulder.