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Rex Masai's mother breaks silence on his death

He was allegedly killed during Finance Bill protests in Nairobi on Thursday

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by BRIAN ORUTA

News21 June 2024 - 09:41
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In Summary


  • Jillian Munyau said the call came in at around 7 pm on Thursday but by the time she got to town from Nyama Villa, he was already dead.
  • Rex had been rushed to a Clinic in the Central Business District, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino speaks to Rex Masai's parents at City Mortuary on June 21, 2024.

The mother to Rex Masai, the man killed during the anti-Finance Bill protests in Nairobi now says that she was informed of his son's shooting by his friends.

Speaking at the City Mortuary on Friday, Jillian Munyau said the call came in at around 7 pm on Thursday but by the time she got to town from Nyama Villa, he was already dead.

Rex had been rushed to a Clinic in the Central Business District, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

"I was called yesterday at around 7 pm and was told he had been shot on the left thigh and they took him to the nearest clinic at Archives it was called Bliss... When I got to town, he was dead," she said.

Munyao narrated that a friend of Rex called using his phone to inform her of the unfortunate incident.

She said the two and other friends had agreed to meet at Afya Centre, in case of anything.

Rex's mother added that the son was shot as he ran for safety, from a teargas canister that had been thrown towards protesting youths in Nairobi CBD.

"The friend called me using his phone. He told me when they left work, they were going somewhere in town and they had agreed to meet at Afya Centre, in case of anything.

"While they were standing somewhere around Archives, a teargas canister was thrown, he got shot in the direction he ran to for safety. His friends ran away because they were saving their lives," Munyau said.

She added that after the police left, one of them returned and found him bleeding.

The mother said that the friend called one of the people who was passing by to assist carry Rex to the hospital.

Munyua claimed that their efforts to ask the police to help them get an ambulance or take him to the hospital fell on deaf ears.

Rex was the firstborn.

The mother described him as someone who was raised well and was very respectful.

His only mistake, she said,  was participating in peaceful protests and standing up for the rights of all Kenyans.

The mother called on the government to ensure he finds justice.

Rex was reportedly shot and killed along Moi Avenue in Nairobi during protests against the Finance Bill, 2024, on Thursday.

Police said they are investigating the circumstances under which Rex,29, was shot and killed.

An aerial video captured the moment the victim was shot.

A group of protesters had been pushed by police from parts of Kenyatta Avenue, City Hall Way and other places they had gathered to air their opposition to the Bill when they gathered outside Moi Avenue.

They started to dance to music that came from a club at the site.

Witnesses claimed it was then that a cop in a cap and plain clothes emerged and started to shoot at the group while dispersing them.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched investigations into the shooting of a protester on Thursday by a person alleged to be a police officer.

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