The inquest into the death of protester Rex Masai took a dramatic turn on Thursday after the lead investigating officer told the court that detectives were unable to identify the firearm used in the fatal shooting due to lack of cooperation from police officers involved in the June 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations.
Principal Investigating Officer Justin Nyatete, a detective with 22 years of experience, testified before the court and detailed the major challenges investigators encountered while probing the killing of the 29-year-old protester near the Absa Bank area in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
Nyatete told the court that investigations established Masai was the only person injured at the specific Absa Bank scene, while other casualties reported during the protests had been hurt in separate locations across the city.
The court heard that detectives reviewed multiple witness statements, photographs and video recordings captured during the demonstrations, including material submitted by a protected witness identified as a journalist.
According to Nyatete, some of the images showed an officer in plain clothes moving alongside uniformed police officers on Uhuru Highway during the protests.
The officer was reportedly carrying a police radio and baton while operating within a larger police formation.
Investigators later identified the officer as Police Constable Isaiah Murangiri.
Undercover Officer Linked to Scene
The court heard that Murangiri had been deployed undercover during the demonstrations and had been issued with a teargas launcher. Investigators also established that he carried a small firearm during the operation.
However, Nyatete told the court that forensic analysis failed to connect Murangiri’s weapon — or firearms issued to other officers who testified — to the bullet that killed Masai.
“The ballistic report showed the cartridge recovered had been fired from a revolver and not from the pistols issued to the officers under investigation,” Nyatete testified.
He further explained that investigators faced another major obstacle because the fatal bullet exited Masai’s body and was never recovered.
“We could not link the pistols to the bullet. We were also unable to recover the firearm that discharged the fatal shot,” he said.
The investigating officer also pointed to inconsistencies in Murangiri’s statements.
According to Nyatete, Murangiri initially claimed he was not on duty on June 18, the day Masai was shot. However, in another statement, the officer said he had reported for duty on June 20 at around 5:20 a.m. and had been assigned guard duties at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
Officers Blamed “Criminals”
The court further heard that detectives attempted to establish the identity of individuals captured on video chasing protesters through Nairobi’s streets during the demonstrations.
However, officers who appeared before the inquest, including Murangiri, denied responsibility and instead claimed that the individuals seen pursuing demonstrators were criminals and not police officers.
“Our investigations could not verify who the people chasing demonstrators were,” Nyatete told the court.
“We did what we could, but we encountered non-cooperation from the police.”
The testimony exposed significant gaps in the investigation, with detectives unable to conclusively trace the weapon used in the shooting despite eyewitness accounts, CCTV footage, Safaricom cellphone data and ballistic examinations.
Evidence Places Officer Near Scene
Murangiri remains the primary officer under scrutiny in the inquest into Masai’s death.
Earlier proceedings heard that cellphone location data, CCTV footage and testimony from photojournalists placed him in Nairobi’s CBD near the location where Masai was shot.
Witnesses also described seeing an undercover officer armed with a teargas launcher operating close to protesters during the chaos.
Despite the evidence presented, Murangiri has consistently denied being the officer captured in the images and maintained that he had been stationed elsewhere at KICC during the protests.
Protest Death Toll Still Under Scrutiny
Rex Masai was among dozens of young Kenyans killed during the anti-tax and anti-government demonstrations that swept across the country in June and July 2024.
Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, estimate that at least 128 people died during the protests, while dozens more were subjected to enforced disappearances.
Rights groups have also documented at least 80 cases of alleged abductions and disappearances linked to the demonstrations, with several individuals still missing and unaccounted for months later.
The protests, largely driven by young people opposing the Finance Bill 2024 and broader governance concerns, triggered nationwide outrage over police brutality and excessive use of force.
The inquest into Masai’s death is expected to continue, with the court set to determine whether additional officers will be summoned to testify about the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting.
