The family of Rex Masai, a protester allegedly shot by police during the anti-Finance Bill 2024 demonstrations, is grappling with a stalled investigation following the withdrawal of the only eyewitness's statement. Rex’s mother, Gillian Munyao, expressed frustration over the slow pursuit of justice for her son.
Gillian Munyao revealed on Friday, July 26, at the Catholic University following a Citizens Assembly, that the witness retracted their statement due to intimidation. This revelation marks yet another setback for the family, already battling to uncover the truth about Rex's untimely death.
Masai, 29, was fatally shot outside the Hilton Hotel along Moi Avenue in Nairobi on June 20, at around 7 pm. The incident occurred as he was walking home with a friend. According to Munyao, a rogue police officer fired live rounds, striking Rex . The bullet, which remained lodged in his body, caused fatal bleeding.
The family's anguish deepened when Munyao disclosed that Rex's body had been tampered with before the autopsy. "I was with my son moments after he was pronounced dead at the hospital. The doctor showed me a bullet lodged in his left thigh. But when the autopsy was conducted the next day, the bullet was no longer there," she recounted.
She continued, "There was an opening on his left thigh. I asked, ‘This small thing is what killed my son?’ They told me that is where the bullet was stuck. The doctor pressed it and said, ‘You see that hard thing, it is the bullet, and we are not allowed to remove it because the police are here and have taken the report.’"
On the day of the autopsy, the family discovered the bullet had been removed, further complicating their quest for justice. "Me in my mind, I know how I left the child; he is still like that. But we found they had already removed the bullet," Munyao revealed.
The post-mortem confirmed that Rex died from excessive bleeding. Reports from both the government and the family’s pathologists indicated that the bullet wound to his thigh resulted in significant blood loss.
Adding to the family's distress, the post-mortem was delayed for over four hours as they waited for a file to arrive from the Central Police Station. This prolonged their agony and highlighted the systemic hurdles they face.
Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga recently informed Kenyans that the CCTV footage from the incident does not clearly identify the shooter. "The CCTV footage showing the shooting does not identify the person who pulled the trigger," Ingonga stated.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has also struggled to find witnesses to Rex's death and the deaths of four others during the protests. This lack of eyewitnesses has hindered the investigation, which has now taken on broader anti-government overtones.
However, the President of the Law Society of Kenya, Faith Odhiambo, criticised Ingonga’s stance. "The ODPP has the authority to direct police to offer security to witnesses and to conduct a more thorough investigation," she argued. "The kind of cases we have seen shows that people are reluctant to come forward due to fear. I was quite disappointed by the statement from the Director of Public Prosecutions. He should be providing solutions instead of saying there is nothing he can do."
