Nairobi, Kenya — New revelations in the ongoing inquest into the fatal shooting of 29-year-old Rex Kanyike Masai have placed Police Constable Isaiah Murangiri squarely in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) at the time of the incident. Masai was shot on Moi Avenue near Kencom on June 20, 2024, during protests against the controversial 2024/2025 Finance Bill. He later died at Bliss Hospital, sparking public outrage and accusations of excessive force by police.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), which is investigating the case, presented telecommunications evidence in court showing Murangiri’s mobile phone was active in the vicinity of the shooting. On Monday, September 15, Safaricom’s law enforcement liaison manager, Zachary Kirogoi Mburu, testified at Milimani Law Courts that two mobile numbers registered to Isaiah Murangiri were served by network masts at Kencom and St. Ellis House between 7:45pm and 8:11pm on the day Rex Masai was shot.
Mburu explained that the data was released under court order and included call logs from June 18 and 19, and location data from June 20. While Murangiri’s phones showed no activity on June 19, both were active in the CBD on the evening of June 20. “Those locations are the cites that were serving him, so it basically means he was in that vicinity,” Mburu told Senior Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo.
The Safaricom official also clarified that while location accuracy in the CBD is limited to about 200 meters due to mast density, the data still strongly suggests Murangiri’s presence near the scene. He added that phone numbers can remain active even if not used by their registered owners, depending on how the lines are handled.
In a separate testimony, ballistic expert Senior Superintendent Alex Mdindi Mwandawiro revealed that a bullet fragment recovered at the scene was consistent with a live rifle round—not a rubber bullet, as initially claimed by police. “The damaged jacket was part of a rifled bullet. The core was missing, but the markings indicated it came from a live round,” Mwandawiro stated.
He noted that the fragment could have been fired from rifles such as the AK series, Galil, or Kenya’s locally manufactured Chalbi rifle. Crucially, none of the three pistols submitted by police investigators matched the fragment, and one weapon listed in IPOA’s memo was never presented for testing.
Magistrate Onsarigo adjourned the hearing to September 25, when additional witnesses are expected to testify.
