Officers admit altering firearm records in Rex Masai shooting inquest

Rex Masai was shot and killed during protests near Moi Avenue, Nairobi, with video footage showing a man collapsing after a loud pop, allegedly from a plainclothes officer. [Courtesy] Altering official firearm records, whitewashing names, and signing for weapons not personally collected-these were just some of the damning revelations that surfaced Wednesday during an inquest into the death of 29-year-old protester Rex Masai. Three officers from Nairobi's Central Police Station-PC Geoffrey Mbae Murangiri, PC Simon Waweru, and Cpl Martin Kithinji-told Milimani Magistrate Geoffrey Onsaringo that multiple irregularities riddled the Firearms Movement Register during the Gen-Z protests in June 2024. The court heard that entries in the register had been altered between June 18 and 20, raising doubts about who had access to live ammunition and firearms during the period when Masai was fatally shot. Undercover officer Simon Waweru, who was deployed on River Road during June 19 protests admitted he was issued a Jericho pistol loaded with 15 rounds, but never signed for it. "When I took it, I did not sign," he said, under cross-examination by State Prosecutor Jalson Makori. Instead, the signature in the registry belonged to another undercover officer, Corporal Martin Kithinji-even though Waweru's name had been written over a white-out of a previously entered name. "The officer in charge of the armoury had written someone else's name in the wrong section and later canceled it using white-out. My name was then written over it," Waweru told the court. He added, "That was a mistake by the armoury." When asked whether the register contained discrepancies, he responded: "Yes, there are discrepancies," but insisted the entries were not false. Kithinji also confirmed the alterations and described them as "human error." However, under questioning, he was unable to explain why his service number appeared as 730997 in one part of the registry, while his actual number is 220997. "I cannot see clearly on the screen," he claimed. LSK counsel David Mwangi pressed further, asking whether Waweru returned the firearm personally. "Yes, I returned the pistol the same day, and it is the armourer who signs that we have returned the firearm issued," said Waweru. "Someone signed for you on that day?" the lawyer asked. "Yes," he confirmed. The court was told that white-out fluid was used to modify multiple entries in the register. "The records were manipulated. Someone else's name was overlaid with Waweru's, and there's no telling who actually carried the weapon," said LSK counsel. Taking the stand later, Cpl Kithinji, said to be the head of the undercover unit during the protests, admitted to similar issues. "There was an error by the person in charge. He wrote my name twice on two different pages, then tried to correct it with a hard wash," he said. Kithinji also testified that he received a Jericho pistol with 15 rounds on June 19, but denied that any protests occurred that day. Asked who could identify the person who used the gun that killed Masai, he replied, "The armourer is the one who can identify the specific person he issued the gun to." PC Geoffrey Mbae Murangiri added more confusion. He claimed he was issued only a tear gas launcher on June 20-the day Masai was shot-but the register recorded him as receiving rubber bullets. "I only collected a tear gas launcher," he told the court. "Does a tear gas launcher use rubber bullets?" asked the LSK lawyer. "No. It is supposed to use tear gas canisters," Mbae clarified. All three officers admitted there was no formal briefing before deployment on June 20. None could provide a clear or consistent account of how or where weapons, including tear gas, were deployed. Cpl Kithinji added that no undercover officer under his command used a firearm that day. "All the officers under me did not use firearms during the June 2024 protests," he said. He also told the court he learned of Rex Masai's shooting through media reports. Mbae, meanwhile, denied knowing Isaiah Murangiri, the main suspect in Masai's shooting. "We have never worked together, though we share the same surname," he said. Rex Masai was shot and killed during protests near Moi Avenue, Nairobi, with video footage showing a man collapsing after a loud pop, allegedly from a plainclothes officer. The inquest resumes on July 29, 2025, when the chief armourer is expected to testify.

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