NAIROBI, Kenya — Police surveillance cameras in Nairobi’s Central Business District were not operational when 24-year-old Rex Kanyike Masai was shot during the June 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests, an inquest has heard.
Senior police officer Andrew Limo, who testified before the ongoing inquiry into Masai’s death, told the court that the National Police Service (NPS) CCTV surveillance network was not functioning on the evening of the incident.
The revelation could complicate efforts to reconstruct the events surrounding Masai’s shooting and establish who fired the fatal shot.
Masai was shot during protests
Masai was shot on June 20, 2024, during demonstrations in Nairobi against the Finance Bill.
He was taken to Bliss Healthcare Centre after being wounded but died from blood loss.
The inquest is examining the circumstances surrounding his death, including whether excessive or unlawful force was used during the protests.
The CCTV evidence is considered important in determining what happened in the moments before and after Masai was shot.
Police cameras had technical problems
The court has previously heard that investigators faced difficulties obtaining footage from several locations within Nairobi’s CBD.
Limo’s testimony indicated that the police surveillance network was not operational at the time of the shooting, leaving investigators without footage from the NPS camera system that could have helped establish the sequence of events.
The surveillance system at Jogoo House was also reportedly unavailable because of a faulty fibre connection linking the building with other surveillance points and roads.
The gaps in police surveillance footage have therefore presented investigators with challenges in tracing Masai’s movements and identifying the person who fired the fatal shot.
Private CCTV provides crucial evidence
Despite the absence of functioning police CCTV, investigators recovered recordings from private premises in the CBD.
An Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) forensic investigator told the inquest in March 2026 that footage obtained from Absa Bank along Mama Ngina Street was authentic.
According to the investigator, the footage showed a man opening fire at protesters between approximately 7 p.m. and 7:17 p.m., with gunfire recorded at around 7:11 p.m.
The footage could provide important evidence as the inquest attempts to establish what happened during the confrontation and whether the shooting was carried out by a police officer or another individual.
Investigators struggled to identify shooting location
The inquest has also heard that investigators encountered difficulties establishing the precise location where Masai was shot.
Security guards and other witnesses were interviewed at various locations across the CBD as investigators attempted to reconstruct the incident.
The areas examined included:
- Moi Avenue
- Kenyatta Avenue
- Parliament Road
- City Hall Way
- Standard Street
- Harambee Avenue
The difficulty in pinpointing the exact location has added to the challenge of establishing a complete timeline of the events.
Inquest seeks answers
The evidence presented so far is expected to help the court determine the circumstances surrounding Masai’s death and whether the use of force during the protests was lawful.
Investigators are seeking to establish the identity of the person who fired the fatal shot, the circumstances leading to the shooting and whether any police officers were involved.
The inquest is ongoing.
