Rex Masai’s Family Alleges Cover-Up in Son’s Death
The family of Rex Masai, a protester purportedly shot by police during the anti-Finance Bill 2024 demonstrations, is facing a stalled investigation due to the withdrawal of the sole eyewitness’s statement. Rex’s mother, Gillian Munyao, has voiced her frustration over the sluggish justice process for her son.
On Friday, July 26, at the Catholic University, during a Citizens Assembly, Gillian Munyao disclosed that the witness retracted their statement because of intimidation. This development is another setback for the family, which is struggling to uncover the truth behind Rex’s premature death.
Masai, 29, was shot fatally outside the Hilton Hotel on Moi Avenue in Nairobi on June 20, around 7 pm. The incident happened while he was walking home with a friend. According to Munyao, a rogue police officer fired live rounds, hitting Rex. The bullet remained lodged in his body, causing fatal bleeding.
The family’s suffering intensified when Munyao revealed that Rex’s body had been tampered with before the autopsy. “I was with my son just after he was declared dead at the hospital. The doctor showed me a bullet lodged in his left thigh. However, when the autopsy was performed the next day, the bullet was gone,” she recounted.
She added, “There was an opening on his left thigh. I questioned, ‘This small thing is what killed my son?’ They explained that was 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 found out that the bullet had been removed, further complicating their pursuit of justice. “In my mind, I knew how I left my child; he was still like that. But we discovered they had already removed the bullet,” Munyao revealed.
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The post-mortem determined that Rex died from severe bleeding. Reports from both government and family pathologists confirmed that the bullet wound in his thigh led to significant blood loss.
Adding to the family’s pain, the post-mortem was delayed for more than four hours as they waited for a file from the Central Police Station. This extended their agony and underscored the systemic obstacles they faced.
Director of Public Prosecutions Renson Ingonga recently informed Kenyans that the CCTV footage from the incident does not 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 locate witnesses to Rex’s death and the deaths of four others during the protests. The lack of eyewitnesses has impeded the investigation, which now has broader anti-government implications.
However, the President of the Law Society of Kenya, Faith Odhiambo, criticized Ingonga’s position. “The ODPP has the power to direct police to provide security for witnesses and to carry out a more thorough investigation,” she argued. “The cases we’ve seen indicate that people are hesitant to come forward due to fear. I was quite disappointed by the statement from the Director of Public Prosecutions. He should be offering solutions instead of claiming there is nothing he can do.”
Rex Masai’s Family Alleges Cover-Up in Son’s Death
