Excessive blood loss and muscle fractures have been established as the main causes of death for Rex Kanyike Masai, the 29-year-old allegedly shot by police during the Anti-Finance Bill protest in the streets of Nairobi on Thursday 20th June 2024.
The government’s chief pathologist, Dr Johansen Oduor, who conducted the autopsy, stated that the bullet entered the back of the deceased’s thigh and exited from the front, causing the fatal wound.
According to reports, the young man died a few minutes after arriving at the hospital. Masai was taken to the hospital by some of the protesters after he was shot around 7 p.m. in the Nairobi Central Business District.
The mother of the deceased, says that she received the call of her son’s death an hour after his death. She added that officers who allegedly shot her son refused to take any action toward saving his life.
“My son was from work on his way home when he met the protests and that is when he was shot,” she said.
“I received the call to go to the hospital at around 8 pm, and when I arrived I found my son lying down lifeless” she added.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched an investigation into the fatal shooting of Rex Kanyike Masai, and the injuring of several others during the mass protests against the proposed Finance Bill, 2024.
IPOA Chairperson Anne Makori says the authority has established contact with the family of the deceased and is documenting the circumstances surrounding his death.
The authority emphasizes that the National Police Service Act and standing orders dictate that the use of force by officers must be proportional to the objective, the seriousness of the offence, and the resistance of the person.
The investigation team has commenced monitoring and investigating the policing operations that occurred during the largely peaceful demonstrations, as acknowledged by IPOA.
