A protester who was murdered in cold blood by a rogue police officer on Thursday evening, June 20, 2024, has been identified as Rex Kanyike Masai.
Prominent human rights activist Boniface Mwangi confirmed that Rex’s body was transported to the Nairobi Funeral Home, where it will remain pending a postmortem examination.
Mwangi emphasized that the body needed to be registered at a public mortuary as police launch a homicide investigation.
“I have met with Rex’s mum, and we are on our way to City Mortuary. Since it’s a homicide, the police have said the body has to be booked in a public mortuary. After the post-mortem, we shall move Rex,” Mwangi stated on his X handle.
I’m sharing pictures of 24-year-old Rex Kanyike lying in the morgue with consent from his parents, Chrispin Odawa, and Gillian Munyao who are standing over his body at the City mortuary. He was killed by the police this evening. They’re shocked and numb from the loss of their son pic.twitter.com/c5YAx8gSKl
— The People’s Watchman (@bonifacemwangi) June 20, 2024
24-year-old Kanyike was fatally shot by a plainclothes police officer used live ammunition to break up the protests. The protesters had continued to clash with police in the city center into the evening.
A video circulating online showed the rogue police officer firing a live round at protesters who were attempting to flee.
The bullet hit Rex Kanyike who succumbed to his injuries after being taken to Bliss Healthcare Center, located near the Kenya Archives in Nairobi’s Central Business District.
The shooter was seen in the footage wearing a black cap, blue shirt, black jeans, and white sneakers.
Some Kenyans online have identified the killer cop, sharing photos and video that captured him shooting Rex Kanyike and also during other times during the protests.
There has been a casualty💔
His name is Rex. He was shot by police and pronounced dead at 20:05.
Let @KarimKhanQC and the @court_criminal @amnesty know that @NPSOfficial_KE @IG_NPS has authorized the use of live ammunition on innocent protestors. pic.twitter.com/KtgPIpvIN1
— Francis Gaitho (@FGaitho237) June 20, 2024
