Inquest into Rex Masai's death continues as police blame ‘unknown individuals’

The public inquest into the tragic death of Rex Masai will resume today for further hearings. At the previous hearing in February, former Nairobi Police Commander Adamson Bung'ei revealed that the police were initially unaware of the cause of Masai's death during the June Gen Z Protests.

He explained that they only learnt the details after a postmortem examination was carried out. Bung'ei categorically denied any involvement of the police in the alleged shootings during the Gen Z protests on July 20, 2025, and stressed that no one was shot that night.

He also mentioned that police officers from various units were involved in the operation that day, but he was unable to provide any specific details regarding how officers were assigned their duties during the patrols.

Furthermore, Bung'ei refuted any claims that police were responsible for Masai's fatal shooting.

He suggested that the protests had been infiltrated by unknown individuals. Referring to the postmortem report, he stated that Masai had died from excessive bleeding due to a single gunshot wound.

"We did not know what caused his death until the postmortem was conducted," Bung'ei explained.

Masai was shot and killed during the Gen Z protests in June 2024, which were held in opposition to the Finance Bill 2024 and various other governance issues.

Bung'ei went on to clarify that the situation necessitated the deployment of officers from different security agencies, though he insisted that no shooting occurred within Nairobi's central business district (CBD) on that day.

"The demonstrations resulted in widespread damage to property and a breach of peace. When the country is in turmoil, it is our responsibility to deploy and manage the situation," Bung'ei said.

He also noted that investigations into the shooting are still ongoing.

Former county commander Dorris Mugambi also confirmed that no reports of shooting had been made. She reiterated the findings of the postmortem, which revealed that Masai had died from a gunshot wound.

Prior to this, it was believed that his injury had been caused by a sharp object.

When questioned about whether she knew who was responsible for the shooting, Mugambi responded, "That can only be determined by a ballistic expert."

She also admitted that she had no knowledge of the ongoing investigation into Masai's death, as it had been taken over by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

The inquest continues as efforts to uncover the circumstances surrounding Rex Masai's death remain underway.

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