A former Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) of Nairobi’s Central Police Station, Tiberious Ekisa, has told the inquest into the death of Rex Masai that nobody knows the exact location where the activist was fatally shot.
Testifying before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo, Mr Ekisa said members of the public, including watchmen along Moi Avenue, were uncooperative when approached by police to disclose whether they witnessed the shooting.
Mr Ekisa also disclosed that the National Police Service (NPS) CCTV command centre at Jogoo House was not functional at the time.
As a result, the exact location where Masai was fatally injured remains unknown.
Led in his evidence by Assistant Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Jalson Makori and cross-examined by LSK lawyer Mwangi Chege, Mr Ekisa, who is now attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), said he wrote several letters to various government buildings equipped with CCTV cameras to help locate the shooting scene.
“I only received a regret from the NPS CCTV command centre, with the responsible officer, Chief Inspector A. Limo, stating that the fibre cable linking Jogoo House to adjacent buildings and roads was faulty,” Mr Ekisa told the court.
The crime detective said he and a team of DCI officers resorted to physically interrogating watchmen stationed at buildings along Moi Avenue, Kimathi Street, Parliament Road, Harambee Avenue, Kenyatta Avenue, Standard Street and City Hall Way in a bid to gather clues that could lead to the identification of the shooter.
“All our efforts to locate the exact scene where Masai was injured have been futile, although it is presumed to be along Moi Avenue,” Mr Ekisa testified.
He added that he also wrote to Bliss Hospital seeking information on those who brought the wounded demonstrator to the facility.
“We made several attempts to visit the hospital to obtain the identities of those who brought Masai in, hoping this would assist in concluding our investigations,” Mr Ekisa told the court.
The DCI officer said 128 police officers had been deployed to cover the June 20, 2024, anti-government demonstrations opposing the 2024/2025 Finance Act.
The nationwide protests led by Gen Z activists left over 60 people dead.
Mr Ekisa testified that officers were mobilised from Central, Kamukunji, KICC, and Parliament police stations to secure the Central Business District (CBD).
He said the greatest focus was on safeguarding the National Assembly after intelligence reports indicated that “Parliament would be invaded and the Mace stolen.”
He further noted that, in addition to wanton destruction of property and looting, firearms were stolen during the protests and have not been recovered.
Mr Ekisa also told the court that by the time he was transferred from Central Police Station, the investigation file into Masai’s shooting had not yet been returned from the DPP to whom it had been sent for review and guidance.
Mr Ekisa said he does not know Police Constable Isaiah Murangiri, the officer suspected of shooting Masai.
He also surprised the court by stating he does not know the “Alfamine Squad,” an undercover unit whose members—including PC Murangiri—were drawn from Central and other stations and dressed in civilian clothing.
Mr Murangiri, who testified on Wednesday, was allegedly placed at the scene of the shooting through birthmark identification.
Mr Ekisa added that he had dispatched an officer to Bliss Hospital to interview the health workers who attended to Masai.
Masai was rushed to the hospital by sympathisers after being shot in the leg. He later bled to death.
Recently, President William Ruto reportedly instructed police to shoot demonstrators in the legs.
During the June 25, 2025, and Saba Saba demonstrations, over 40 people were reportedly killed by police.
The inquest continues.
