Kasipul Constituency is hurtling toward a November 27, 2025, by-election that promises to be a political inferno, sparked by the brutal assassination of MP Charles Ong’ondo Were.
Gunned down on April 30, 2025, in a chilling gangland-style execution on Nairobi’s Ngong Road, Were’s murder deemed “targeted and premeditated” by police has left Kasipul reeling, its people caught between grief and rage.
Now, as the battle to replace him ignites, a cast of ambitious players, shadowy alliances, and accusations of treachery threaten to tear this ODM stronghold apart.
The plot thickens with Robert Ajwang Riaga, alias Money Bior, a charismatic independent candidate whose meteoric rise has sent shockwaves through ODM’s ranks.
Known for his flamboyant philanthropy, clearing KSh 850,000 in hospital bills for 108 patients, Bior has captured the hearts of Kasipul’s youth and women.
But his defiance of ODM’s machinery has made him a target.
In a chilling phone call to KTMN Repoter, Bior accused Wanga of plotting his arrest to crush his campaign, claiming she’s enlisted National Intelligence Service operatives to probe his funding and even sought State House muscle to have him nabbed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport upon his return from abroad.
“I’m no threat to her personally,” Bior thundered. “Why does she fear a free man’s ambition?”
Efforts by KTMN to reach Governor Wanga for comment were unsuccessful, as she did not respond to messages.
Similarly attempts to contact Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja over the allegations also went unanswered.
During Were’s burial on May 9, 2025, Boyd Were, the slain MP’s son, a young firebrand stepped into his father’s bloodstained shoes with a vow to avenge his legacy.
His voice trembled with defiance: “My father was fearless, and so am I. Kasipul will rise from this tragedy!”
His campaign, draped in the emotional weight of his father’s martyrdom, has been supercharged by Homa Bay Governor and ODM national chairperson Gladys Wanga, whose public appearances with Boyd have tongues wagging.
Is she anointing him as the chosen heir, or orchestrating a power grab to cement her influence?
Wanga insists her focus is development, not favoritism, but whispers of her pulling strings at State House paint a darker picture.
The drama doesn’t end there.
Businessman Philip Aroko, once a suspect in Were’s murder but now a state witness, struts into the race with the swagger of a man who’s dodged a bullet literally.
Freed on KSh 300,000 bail, Aroko’s agribusiness empire, churning out 10,000 eggs daily, fuels his campaign war chest.
Brushing off claims of Wanga’s bias, he declares, “The people of Kasipul will crown their king!”
Yet, his legal entanglements and ban from Homa Bay give Boyd a crucial edge in this cutthroat contest.
Lurking in the shadows is Newton Ogada, a philanthropist handpicked by the late Were as his successor.
Ogada’s resume building schools and homes for widows has earned him a loyal following, and he’s pitching himself as the torchbearer of Were’s vision, urging “politics without bloodshed.”
Other contenders, like Dr. Adel Ottoman, former journalist George Otieno, and Rateng Otiende, add fuel to this already explosive race, each vying for ODM’s golden ticket in a constituency where loyalty is tested and betrayal lurks.
Kasipul’s history is soaked in blood and chaos.
Since 2019, political violence has scarred the region, with funerals becoming battlegrounds for hired goons.
The late Were himself, a polarizing figure, faced accusations of fueling unrest while privately confessing fears for his life.
As ODM’s nomination looms, the stakes couldn’t be higher.
Wanga’s alleged conspiracies, Bior’s cries of persecution, Boyd’s quest for justice, and Aroko’s defiance collide in a high-stakes drama that could reshape Homa Bay’s political future.
Will Wanga’s iron grip deliver Boyd the crown, or will Bior’s rebellion ignite an upset?
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