Police CCTV cameras were offline during Rex Masai shooting, inquest told

The police CCTV surveillance network in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) was not operational on the evening Rex Kanyike Masai was shot during the June 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests, a senior police officer has told an inquest.

Andrew Limo, who testified in the ongoing inquiry into Masai’s death, said the National Police Service (NPS) surveillance cameras were not functioning at the time of the incident.

The revelation could complicate efforts to reconstruct the events that led to the 24-year-old’s death and establish who fired the fatal shot.

Masai was shot on June 20, 2024, during protests in Nairobi. He was taken to Bliss Healthcare Centre but died from blood loss.

The inquest is examining the circumstances surrounding his death and whether excessive or unlawful force was used by police during the demonstrations.

The court has previously heard that investigators encountered difficulties accessing CCTV footage from several locations within the CBD.

The police surveillance system at Jogoo House, for instance, was reportedly unavailable due to a faulty fibre connection linking the building to other surveillance points and roads.

Despite the gaps in the police footage, investigators managed to recover CCTV recordings from private premises.

An Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) forensic investigator told the court in March 2026 that footage obtained from Absa Bank along Mama Ngina Street was authentic.

According to the investigator, the footage captured a man opening fire at protesters between approximately 7pm and 7.17pm, with gunfire recorded at around 7.11pm.

The inquest has also heard that investigators struggled to pinpoint the exact location where Masai was shot, despite interviewing security guards and other witnesses in various parts of the CBD.

The areas investigated included Moi Avenue, Kenyatta Avenue, Parliament Road, City Hall Way, Standard Street and Harambee Avenue.

The evidence is expected to be crucial as the court seeks to piece together Masai’s final moments, identify the person who fired the fatal bullet and determine whether police officers acted within the law during the protests.