By PATRICK ILUNGA

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A member of Parliament and opposition spokesperson was found dead on Thursday riddled with bullets in Kinshasa, leaving the residents of the Democratic Republic of Congo capital in shock.

The body of Cherubin Okende, a former Transport minister turned opposition politician, was found in his car on one of the city's main roads a day after he was reported missing.

Okende was the spokesman for Moise Katumbi's Ensemble pour la République, a leading opposition party, whose leader is set to contest the presidential election in December 20 this year.

Read: Moise Katumbi returns to DR Congo from exile

His family had reported his disappearance on Wednesday.

Okende resigned from the government in 2022 when Mr Katumbi left the coalition led by President Félix Tshisekedi.

His tragic death occurred as he was due for a meeting at the constitutional court to "study and draft a report on the written declaration relating to your assets after your departure from the government," read a letter from Judge Sylvain Lumu.

The government condemned his murder, terming it an "odious act" and directed "a thorough investigation in order to shed light on this unacceptable act," the spokesman Patrick Muyaya said.

Mr Katumbi, speaking to French radio broadcaster RFI, said Okende's killing was "a political assassination...to reduce us to silence."

President Tshisekedi, in office since 2019, is also due to stand for re-election.

Read: Tshisekedi’s headache in quest to win upcoming presidential poll