NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 24 – The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) has urged witnesses of Rex Masai’s shooting during Thursday protests in Nairobi to volunteer information so as to facilitate their ongoing investigations.
The authority launched the investigations into the matter on Friday, and has appealed to the public to provide any information that will help get closure to the family of the deceased.
“This information will help to not only bring closure to the family and friends but also contribute to police accountability,” said the authority.
IPOA’s Investigations Team visited the Nairobi CBD for another day of forensic evidence collection to beef up its ongoing investigations into the death of the victim during the demonstrations.
Rex Masai was fatally shot on Thursday evening during anti-Finance Bill protests along Moi Avenue in Nairobi.
He was allegedly shot by a plainclothes officer at around 7pm. Aerial footage captured the incident as protesters, pushed from Kenyatta Avenue and City Hall Way, regrouped outside a club on Moi Avenue.
Witnesses reported the officer firing into the crowd, injuring Rex in the leg. Despite efforts to save him at Bliss Hospital Moi Avenue, he succumbed to his wounds. His distraught parents and fellow protesters gathered at the mortuary, mourning his loss.
IPOA is also investigating the death of another victim who was shot last week during the demonstrations.
“IPOA this morning dispatched its Rapid Response Team to Kenyatta National Hospital to establish the facts around the reported death of a second victim due to police action during the demonstrations last week,” said IPOA.
