Nairobi — The mother of Rex Kanyike Masai, the 29-year-old man shot dead by police during Thursday’s anti-Finance Bill protests, has recounted the events leading to her son’s death.
Speaking Friday at City Mortuary in Nairobi, where her son’s body lies, Gillian Munyao detailed how she learned of the shooting through a phone call from her son’s friend around 7 pm.
Masai’s death has been linked to a plainclothes officer involved in managing the protests in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
“I was told that Rex had been shot in the leg and had been rushed to the nearby Bliss Hospital along Moi Avenue. After I hurried from Nyama Villa to town, I found him deceased,” she said.
According to Munyao, her son’s friends had planned to meet in town after work before the incident.
“When they were standing somewhere around Archives, I cannot pinpoint the exact location, police launched teargas, and then he was hit when a gun was fired in the direction they had chosen to escape to,” she narrated.
An unverified amateur footage circulating online appears to capture the moment the officer opened fire at a group of retreating protestors, injuring Masai in the leg.
His friends had to flee but later returned to check on him after police left the area.
Munyao added that her son’s friend found Masai heavily bleeding but still alive. However, attempts by his friends to seek assistance from nearby police were unsuccessful.
“They asked police to help find an ambulance or ferry him to the hospital using their vehicle, but the officers responded by telling them to let him die before proceeding with their journey,” she narrated.
Activist Boniface Mwangi accused the police of being responsible for Masai’s death. He accompanied Masai’s devastated family to City Mortuary.
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“I’m sharing pictures of 29-year-old Rex Kanyike lying in the morgue with consent from his parents, Chrispin Odawa and Gillian Munyao, who are standing over his body. He was killed by the police this evening (Thursday). They are shocked and numb from the loss of their son,” Mwangi said Thursday.
Mwangi also disclosed that Kanyike’s pockets contained his identification card and phone, maintaining that the victim was unarmed. “He knew that Kenya Police harasses any young person who walks around without an ID.”
The incident has sparked anger among Kenyans online, who have criticized the police for using their weapons on peaceful protestors. The police have yet to issue a statement on the incident.
About The Author
Bruhan Makong reports on security, human rights, and global affairs. He is passionate about uncovering the truth, amplifying the voices often drowned in silence, and holding those in power to account.
