Jillian Munyau, the mother of 24-year-old Rex Kanyike Masai, says her son was killed on Thursday, June 21, 2024, when he was getting off work.
Speaking to the press at the City Mortuary on Friday, June 21, 2024, ahead of the postmortem, Munyau recounted the sequence of events leading to her son’s fatal shooting.
Contrary to the belief that the deceased was part of the demonstrations against Finance Bill 2024, Munyau noted that her son had just arrived in town from work when he was shot.
She explained that the 24-year-old had just gotten to the CBD with his friends when a tear gas canister was lobbied at them forcing everyone to scamper for safety.
“The friend ndo alinipigia simu akitumia simu yake, akaniambia wakati ametoka kazini walikua wanaenda mahali town wakaambiana in case of anything tukutane Afia Center. So wakati walikua wamesimama mahali sikujua ni wapi, hapo tu karibu na Archives, kulitupwa tear gas,” Rex Masai’s mother narrated.
In the ensuing melee, Munyau says that her son ran in the direction where he was shot.
“So ile direction walienda kukimbilia hapo ndo alishutiwa. Wenzake ilibidi wakimbie sababu pia wao walikua wanakimbilia maisha yao,” she said.
She added that her son’s friend went back to check on him after the shooting only to find him bleeding profusely.
Munyau said that the first responders tried to get the police to help them in vain.
“So after hao polisi kutoka ndo Rafiki mmoja ndo alirudi nyuma kuangalia ako aje akapata amebleed kabisa akaita mpita njia. Mpita njia akamsaida so akaona polisi nearby wakaambia wawasaidie na ambulance ama usaidizi wowote wampeleke hospitali ju bado alikua hai. Polisi alisema wacha akufe uko na wakaendelea na safari yao,” Masai mother divulged.
The grieving mother further revealed that she received a distressing call around 7 pm informing her of her son’s condition.
She recounted being told that Masai had been shot in the left thigh and was initially taken to a nearby clinic named Bliss.
“Nilipigiwa simu mwendo wa saa moja jana jioni nkaambiwa ameshutiwa kwa mguu on the left thigh na walimpeleka kwa nearest clinic hapa Archives inajiita Bliss. So kutoka Nyama Villa kufika town nlipata hayuko,” she said.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has since initiated a formal investigation into Rex Masai’s fatal shooting.
IPOA said it had initiated contact with the family of the deceased and other protesters injured during the demos.
“The Authority has this morning launched investigations into the fatal shooting and our investigation team has since established contact with the family of Mr. Masai, all the serious injury incidents documented during the demonstrations,” IPOA said in a statement.
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