A crucial source of evidence was missing when Rex Kanyike Masai was shot during the June 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests, after an inquest heard that police CCTV cameras covering Nairobi’s Central Business District were not working at the time.
The revelation was made by senior police officer Andrew Limo on Tuesday, who told the inquiry that the National Police Service surveillance network was not operational on the evening of June 20, 2024.
Masai, 24, was shot during the protests in Nairobi and later taken to Bliss Healthcare Centre, where he died from blood loss.
The inquest is seeking to establish exactly what happened before and during the shooting, who fired the bullet that killed Masai and whether police used excessive or unlawful force during the demonstrations.
Limo’s evidence comes as the inquiry continues to deal with gaps in CCTV footage that could have helped investigators trace the events surrounding Masai’s final moments.
The court has previously been told that police faced difficulties obtaining footage from several points within the CBD.
At Jogoo House, the police surveillance system was reportedly unavailable because of a faulty fibre connection that linked the building to other surveillance locations and roads.
With the police cameras unavailable, investigators turned to footage from privately owned premises as they tried to establish what happened on the ground during the protests.
In March 2026, an Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) forensic investigator told the inquest that CCTV footage obtained from Absa Bank along Mama Ngina Street was authentic.
The investigator said the recording showed a man opening fire at protesters between about 7pm and 7.17pm.
The footage also captured gunfire at around 7.11pm, according to the evidence presented before the court.
However, investigators have faced another challenge in determining the precise spot where Masai was shot.
They interviewed security guards and other witnesses while checking different parts of the CBD in an effort to trace the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
The areas examined included Moi Avenue, Kenyatta Avenue, Parliament Road, City Hall Way, Standard Street and Harambee Avenue.
The evidence from the available CCTV recordings, together with accounts from witnesses and other material presented to the court, could help the inquest establish a clearer sequence of events.
The inquiry is also expected to determine the identity of the person who fired the fatal shot and whether police officers involved in the protests acted within the law.
The proceedings continue.