An
inquest into the death of Rex Masai resumes today at the Milimani Law Court in
Nairobi.
Rex
Kanyike Masai was shot and killed in Nairobi’s city centre as police battled
anti-tax protesters in June 2024.
He
was rushed to Bliss Hospital along Nairobi's Moi Avenue, where he was pronounced
dead.
“He
was shot in the upper middle part of the thigh. It appears he bled to death
before being brought to our facility,” a doctor at the hospital said.
The
Director of Public Prosecutions then recommended an inquest to determine if
murder charges should be preferred against suspects.
The
inquest is being conducted by Milimani principal magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo.
Isaiah
Muraguri, one of the police officers implicated in the murder and former
Nairobi region police commander Adamson Bungei are among those who have
testified in the inquest.
Bungei
is the current director of police operations. He distanced himself from any
involvement in the killing, claiming no shots were fired by his police unit
during the protests.
Bungei
said Rex may have been killed by another armed individual, but not a police
officer.
"Just because there was a shooting doesn’t mean it was only police officers who could have fired. Private gun owners may have also been involved. On that day, no police officer fired any shots,” Bungei said.
