Witness says Bliss Hospital locked out Rex Masai during June 2024 protests
National
By
Kamau Muthoni
| Mar 31, 2026
An eyewitness told Milimani Court that there were no rival gangs on the streets during the June 20, 2024, “Gen Z” protests in Nairobi.
George Ndikas, a friend of the late Rex Kanyike Masai, said protestors were fleeing police gunfire, not fighting each other.
The witness explained that the 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,” he told the court.
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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, Langata, to Nairobi’s Central Business District around 4 pm. Ndikas said Masai began limping and weakening as the police fired live bullets.
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 inquest into his death continues.
Masai, 29, was shot and killed on June 20, 2024, as thousands of young Kenyans flooded Nairobi’s Central Business District in protests against the controversial Finance Bill and the demonstrations drew global attention and made Masai one of the most documented casualties of the day.