Quest For Accountability In Rex Masai’s Death Continues As Police Admit Irregularities

In a significant development at the Milimani Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday, three police officers from Nairobi Central Police Station have admitted to extensive irregularities and discrepancies within the crucial Firearms Movement Register they are mandated to maintain. This comes as authorities intensify investigations into the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Rex Masai during protests against the Finance Bill 2024.

Police Constables Geoffrey Mbae Murangiri, Simon Waweru, and Corporal Martin Githinji each testified under oath, revealing a system rife with errors. Their testimonies included instances where names had been obliterated using correction fluid, service numbers were altered, and weapons were signed out on behalf of officers who never physically collected them.

Troubling Discrepancies Emerge

PC Geoffrey Mbae Murangiri informed Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo that although the register documented him as having received rubber-bullet rounds on June 20, 2024, he was, in fact, only issued a tear-gas launcher.

PC Simon Waweru testified that his service number was conspicuously listed next to a Jericho pistol entry dated June 19, 2024. However, he adamantly stated that he had neither collected nor returned the firearm in question.

Corporal Martin Githinji admitted to the court that he had signed out the same pistol twice. More critically, he highlighted a clear mismatch between the service numbers recorded for this firearm in different sections of the register: 730997 in one entry versus 220997 in another. He suggested these discrepancies were likely due to errors made by the officer in charge of the armoury, though the implications remain serious.

Adding to the gravity of the testimony, Corporal Githinji also revealed that none of the officers deployed during the protests had received formal training in the use of rubber bullets or live ammunition. This admission raises profound concerns about institutional preparedness and the safety protocols in place for managing public demonstrations.

In search of justice

These startling revelations follow weeks of intense scrutiny surrounding the death of Rex Masai, who was fatally struck in the thigh by a live round near the Kenya National Archives on June 20, 2024. He later succumbed to his injuries at Bliss Medical Centre, igniting a wave of public anger and urgent calls for accountability from law enforcement.

Prosecutors have underscored that the reliability and integrity of the Firearms Movement Register are absolutely critical to precisely establishing which weapon, and by extension which officer, fired the fatal shot that killed Masai. Video footage and forensic analysis presented in court have consistently indicated that a live round, not a less-lethal munition, was responsible for the fatal injury.

However, the acknowledged gaps in record-keeping and the altered entries within the register have made it significantly more difficult to confirm who handled which specific weapons on the day of the protest. The officers’ concession to these procedural failures under oath could have far-reaching implications, potentially leading to internal disciplinary processes or even criminal liability, depending on the court’s ultimate findings. The court is expected to heavily weigh these inconsistencies when assessing the overall reliability of the police testimony.