Court told same man appears in Photos, Videos in Rex Masai shooting case

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A Nairobi court has heard that the same individual appears in a series of photographs and video footage presented as evidence in an inquest into the death of Rex Masai, who was allegedly shot during protests in the Central business district.

Appearing before presiding magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo at the Milimani Law Courts, a senior forensic analyst from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), Joshua Mutua, told the court that his analysis established consistency between images and video clips captured on June 18 and June 20, 2024.

Mutua, who has over 10 years’ experience in crime scene investigations, testified that he received a 16GB flash disk from the investigating officer, Justin Nyatete, on July 14, 2025, for forensic examination.

He said the request required him to print and certify photographs, determine the authenticity of video recordings, and prepare a report on the contents of the storage device.

A photo of Rex Masai who was shot during the June 2024 anti-finance bill protest/photo/ file 

Upon examination, the analyst found that the flash disk contained 36 photographs and two video clips, with 18 of the images bearing metadata while the rest were raw files.

According to his testimony, the material showed a man of brown complexion wearing a black cap with a white logo, a blue shirt, grey trousers and black sports shoes, and in several instances holding what appeared to be a communication gadget.

A Photo of the man holding a gun

Mutua told the court that in some of the photographs, the man was seen boarding a lorry with a group of people, while in others he was captured carrying a banner during protests on June 18, 2024.

In images taken on June 20, the same individual was seen wearing distinctive bracelets, including one bearing the inscription “IZOO” and another resembling a Kenyan flag.

Man who was captured on the photos during the June 2024 protests/photo/reporter 

The court also viewed video footage recorded on June 18, in which the man was seen among a group holding a mobile phone and what appeared to be a communication radio. 

In another segment, he was captured near a police vehicle and later beside a Land Cruiser while holding what appeared to be a teargas launcher.

A second video clip taken on June 20 during protests dubbed “Occupy Parliament” showed individuals in police uniform clearing stones from the road. Among them was a man matching the same description, holding a communication device and a riot baton, and wearing the “IZOO” bracelet.

“I formed the opinion that the person depicted in the photographs is the same individual captured in the videos,” Mutua told the court.

The analyst also testified on CCTV footage obtained from a bank along Mama Ngina Street, where the shooting occurred on June 20, 2024.

He said the footage, covering between 6:30pm and 8:00pm, was supplied to investigators on June 28, 2024, following a request made on June 22.

Mutua told the court that forensic analysis confirmed the footage had not been tampered with or altered.

During cross-examination, he acknowledged that he was not present at the scene when the images or videos were captured and relied solely on forensic examination.

Defence counsel Antony Mwangi objected to the production of video evidence, arguing that the witness was only required to present photographs. However, the prosecution maintained that both the images and video files were properly stored and preserved.

Two pictures showing the man having a gun and a police radio/photo/ reporter 

The court also heard that the original creator of the footage may be required to testify virtually.

The court is hearing an inquest into the death of Rex Masai, who was allegedly shot during protests in Nairobi’s CBD on June 20, 2024.

The hearing continues tomorrow.

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