A largely peaceful anti-Finance bill protest in Nairobi during the day ended with a casualty during the night, in what civil rights activists see as disproportionate use of force on the protesters.
Rex Kanyeki Masai, 29, died on Thursday evening from injuries sustained from a live bullet allegedly fired by police in the twilight, paying the ultimate price of the demos that spread to more than 18 other towns.
Ms Gillian Munyao, the mother of the late Masai, said the death of her son had devastated her and her family.
"The gap my son has left will never be filled. He was my first born and what happened to him pains me so much," she said after viewing his body at the City Mortuary in Nairobi.
Ms Gillian Munyao, the mother of Rex Masai, addresses the media at City Mortuary in Nairobi on June 21, 2024.
Photo credit: Boniface Bogita | Nation Media Group
To her, Masai was the provider— the young man who would come through for her.
"When I am low, I could call him and he would come through for me. I have lost a very disciplined young man.”
The duo was in town to run some errands, she added.
She revealed that her son ran into trouble when a teargas canister was thrown at a motley crowd in the Nairobi CBD.
Owing to the choking fumes, Masai and his friend decided to run. Shortly, she said, police were chasing after them and that is how he met his death.
"One of the police shot him in the left thigh and his friend tried to take him to the nearest hospital, Bliss, but unfortunately he died before reaching there."
Family members of the late Masai converse after viewing his body at City Mortuary.
Photo credit: Boniface Bogita | Nation Media Group
"I will miss him forever and as my firstborn, I will always remember him."
She noted that Masai was a relaxed young man, one who never spoke much but was kind and loving.
Masai studied architecture at college, a dream he harboured since childhood, but, like the majority of his jobless peers, he was yet to secure a job.
Mr Chrispine Munyao, the father of Masai, said his son was “our only hope.”
“We have lost a treasure," he noted, battling tears.
In Nairobi alone, Amnesty International, in a preliminary incident report says, more than 200 individuals suffered injuries, and some 50 others were referred for specialised treatment.
The wounds ranged from soft tissue injuries and inhalation of tear gas, according to the report released at 6.44 pm Thursday.
Five protesters, the report says, were hit by rubber bullets, tear gas canisters and police batons while six others were knocked down by cars while running away from police officers.
Rex Masai, who was shot during the anti-tax demonstrations.
Photo credit: Pool
“There is confirmation of live shootings verified by the presence of spent cartridges,” the report reads.
As many as 19 regions across the country witnessed protests as youthful Kenyans turned up in droves to voice their displeasure with Finance Bill 2024.
The protests took place in Nyeri, Nakuru, Kisumu, Uasin Gishu (Eldoret), Isiolo, Kisii, Laikipia (Nanyuki), Kilifi, Garissa, Kiambu (Thika), Kakamega, Nairobi, Meru, Kericho, Kirinyaga, Mombasa, Embu, Machakos and Migori.
At nightfall, at least 35 people had been arrested across the country, reports indicated.
A joint report by the Law Society of Kenya, Kenya Medical Association, Defenders Coalition, Independent Medical Legal Unit and Amnesty International observed that the protesters were “picketing peacefully”.
“We commend the several thousands of protesters, many of whom are youthful, for picketing peacefully, exhibiting restraint and decorum despite provocation by the police who used tear gas as well as water cannons in the capital,” reads the report.
Ms Munyao, accompanied by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, addresses journalists at City Mortuary.
Photo credit: Boniface Bogita | Nation Media Group
But how the peaceful demonstration turned chaotic, particularly in Nairobi, remains unclear.
Hanifa Adan, one of the organisers of the protests, on Thursday, at 8.19pm, urged her troops to stand down.
“Retreat! That is extremely dangerous,” she wrote on X, one of the platforms that have been fundamental in mobilising protesters.
She went ahead to explain that she had been informed that some of the protesters were headed to State House –a protected area under Kenyan laws.
“Please do not head to State House, I’m begging you,” she wrote.
But some observers claimed that those were hired goons and were in no way part of the daytime protesters who were largely peaceful.
“Those protesting in the dark aren’t with us,” Boniface Mwangi, a key figure in mobilising the #RejectFinanceBill2024 protests, posted on X.
As the sun went down and darkness was taking over, the streets of Nairobi witnessed chaotic scenes— including looting and lighting of bonfires.
Videos also showed youthful revellers jamming to musical beats along Moi Avenue. It is in the cover of the darkness that hell broke loose.
“The chaos in the CBD right now is state-orchestrated,” Mr Mwangi said in a post on X at 8.05pm.
“It’s the government trying to tarnish a peaceful movement with state-sponsored criminality. If you’re in CBD, and you were part of the peaceful #RejectFinanceBill2024, go home!”
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Haki Africa Director Hussein Khalid condemned the police for using excessive force during the Thursday protest.
