Autopsy shows Rex Masai was shot as he fled
Crime and Justice
By
Kamau Muthoni
| Apr 10, 2026
Gunshot wounds on the late Rex Masai indicated he could have been moving away from the shooter, Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor told the court on Thursday.
This is corroborated with evidence from George Ndikas, a friend of the deceased, who said protestors were fleeing police gunfire.
Appearing before Milimani Court magistrate Dennis Onsarigo, Dr Oduor said Masai died out of excessive bleeding.
“These are my findings upon doing the postmortem; there was an entry gunshot wound on the back part of the left thigh, and the measurement of the entry wound was 0.5 x 0.4 centimetres… concluded what led to the death of Rex Masai was a haemorrhage wound in his left thigh," he said.
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Earlier, Ndikas explained that police officers were chasing them around. “We were not destroying anything, but when we were near ABSA, we started hearing gunshots,” he said, adding that there was a difference between firing teargas and live bullets.
“There was a time that Rex asked me, just in case we lost each other, how we would get home. I told him that he runs and I would follow him. However, he looked as if he was limping. After I got to him, I asked what was happening."
Ndikas also testified that Bliss Hospital, the nearest medical facility, locked its doors when Masai was critically injured.
“The hospital was actually closed, and the gate was closed. We broke in and got him to the doctor. When he was finally seen, the doctor said he was already gone,” he said.
He recounted that Masai had encouraged him to join the protest against the Finance Bill, and they walked from Highrise, Lang'ata, to Nairobi’s Central Business District around 4pm.
Police testimony confirmed Masai was killed by a live bullet. Inspector Joseph Gathecha explained that the wound on Masai’s left thigh could not have been caused by a blank cartridge.
The 29-year-old was shot on June 20, 2024, as thousands of young Kenyans flooded Nairobi’s CBD in protests against the controversial Finance Bill. The demonstrations drew global attention and made Masai one of the most documented casualties of the anti-government protests.