Police officer implicated in Rex Masai murder at pains to explain CCTV footage, mobile phone data

One of the police officers implicated in Rex Masai’s murder during the anti-government protests, Isaiah Muraguri, was arraigned on Wednesday together with former Nairobi Police Commander Adamson Bungei, who is the current director of police operations.

The inquest into the death of Masai, who was shot on June 20, 2024, resumed from its initial session in December and continued into its second day.

During the inquest, Muraguri struggled to explain who was in the two new CCTV videos presented in court, which showed individuals believed to be plainclothes police officers firing at protesters and deploying tear gas near City Hall towards the Hilton Hotel.

"I didn’t believe the people in the video were police officers; they appeared to be criminals with weapons similar to those used by the police,” Muraguri said.

The videos showed individuals believed to be Muraguri and his colleagues firing at and beating protesters.

Muraguri denied being one of them but acknowledged that he had been stationed at the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC) on the day of the incident, though he was not in uniform.

He claimed to have forgotten the colour of his clothes and therefore could not confirm if he was among the officers seen in the CCTV footage, despite his earlier signed statement in court and to IPOA, which stated that he had worn a black cap, black coat, a white T-shirt, and khaki pants.

"I couldn’t identify the officers in that video,” he added.

The inquest was also presented with data provided by a communication company, showing that Muraguri’s phone had been in the area at the time of the incident, recorded near City Hall and other locations such as KICC, Farmers House, Norwich Union Tower, Kariokor, and Hotel 680.

However, Muraguri denied using that phone on the day of Rex's death, insisting he had stopped using that line long ago.

"I stopped using that phone a long time ago. I didn’t know who was using it on that day. I wasn’t out past my duty hours; I went back home at 7 p.m.,” he noted.

Bungei, who at the time of the incident was the Nairobi Police Commander, also distanced himself from any involvement in the killing.

He claimed that no shots were fired by his police unit during the protests and suggested that Rex may have been killed by another armed individual, not a police officer.

"Just because there was a shooting doesn’t mean it was only police officers who could have fired. Private gun owners may have also been involved. On that day, no police officer fired any shots,” said Bungei.

He was questioned about who had given the orders to the police officers seen firing at the protesters.

"There were no specific operational orders. Things got out of hand, which led to a multi-agency response. There were several units involved, but they were not under my command,” he responded.

Other witnesses are expected to testify in the inquest starting on March 11, 2025.