Police Sleuths Deployed to Fix IPOA Lapses in Rex Masai Death Investigation
The National Police Service (NPS) has said it will deploy senior investigators to fill what it terms as gaps left by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) in the probe into the killing of Gen Z activist Rex Masai on June 20, 2024.
G & A Advocates, representing the NPS, told a Nairobi court that IPOA’s findings were “incomplete and lacking in crucial evidence” and that the omissions could compromise justice for the slain protester.
“Rex Masai’s death is a matter of public interest. Justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done,” the NPS said in written submissions before Senior Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo. The service asked the magistrate not to allow the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to close the inquest prematurely, saying “no stone should be left unturned especially in a matter where life was lost.”
In a rare move, the police criticized both IPOA and the DPP for conducting “incomplete and lackadaisical” investigations. According to the NPS, the evidence gathered so far was inadequate and would allow those responsible for Masai’s death to go scot free.
The service listed several areas that need to be re-examined — witness statements from the scene, CCTV footage from a nearby bank, photographic identification, arms movement registers, ballistic analysis of a Ceska pistol, medical evidence. Investigators also want testimony from the property manager of International Life House where the fatal shooting occurred.
The court heard that only one arms register — from Central Police Station — has been examined so far even though officers from multiple units including Kamukunji, Kilimani, Ngara and Parliament were deployed during the June protests. The NPS argued that all registers should be reviewed to determine which gun was fired.
“The omission to scrutinise these registers creates the perception of a superficial or predetermined investigation,” the NPS lawyers submitted.
The police also identified George Ndickers Abuti, a close friend of Masai, as a key witness yet to testify. In his earlier statement to IPOA, Abuti said he was with Masai when the officers opened fire and helped carry him to Bliss Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Magistrate Onsarigo adjourned the hearing to November 11, 2025 when he will summon ten witnesses proposed by the NPS to testify.
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Police Sleuths Deployed to Fix IPOA Lapses in Rex Masai Death Investigation