The inquest into the death of Rex Nyatike Masai continued on Monday March 30, 2026, with emotional testimony from his close friend, George Ndikas.

Ndikas took the stand before Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo, recounting the final moments he shared with Masai during the June 20, 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests in Nairobi’s Central Business District.

“When I got to him, I asked him what was wrong. Rex told me he had been shot,” Ndikas told the court.

He explained that the two had left their Highrise residence at around 4:30 p.m., walking into the city to join other young protesters. He emphasized that they were unarmed and not carrying any placards.

According to Ndikas, they were not at the frontline when police began dispersing crowds using teargas. However, as tensions escalated near Absa Bank at around 7 p.m., the situation turned chaotic.

“I heard the gunshots and that’s when we turned and started running and within that time that’s when I saw him limping and when I got to him, he told me he had been shot,” he said.

“People were in unity rejecting the Finance Bill, there were live bullets being fired.”

Ndikas told the court he initially struggled to believe Masai had been shot, noting that he still had the strength to run. But as his condition worsened, efforts to get help proved difficult.

Motorists declined to assist due to the chaos and heavy police presence. When Masai could no longer stand, Ndikas said he helped him sit down and sought help from fellow protesters, who assisted in carrying him to Bliss Hospital near Archives.

But despite their efforts, Masai did not survive.

“I tried calling my sister and Rex’s mother. I told her Rex is no more,” Ndikas recounted.

He also revealed that fear and trauma had delayed his appearance in court, despite being considered a key witness.

“I was scared for my life. It took me a while to talk about the incident. I have been traumatized,” he said.

Ndikas maintained that he did not see who fired the shot, as he was running behind Masai at the time.

Earlier, the court heard from Inspector Joseph Kigara Gatecha, a scenes of crime officer, who attended Masai’s postmortem at Nairobi City Mortuary on June 21, 2024.

Gatecha testified that Masai sustained a bullet wound with an entry point at the back of the left thigh and an exit wound at the front, indicating the bullet travelled from behind. He also ruled out the possibility of a blank round causing such injuries.

The officer told the court he documented the entire postmortem process through photography, taking approximately 36 images, and later prepared a report and certificate dated June 26, 2024. 

Due to the sensitive nature of the images, only a number of photographs were disclosed in court.

However, during cross-examination, Gatecha clarified that while he documented the injuries, he could not independently determine the exact cause of death, leaving that conclusion to the pathologist.

Proceedings were briefly interrupted after lawyers representing the National Police Service objected to Ndikas testifying, arguing they required more time to prepare. 

The prosecution opposed the objection, stating the witness had long been identified as crucial and that his statement had already been supplied to all parties.

The court allowed Ndikas to testify, directing that his cross-examination will take place at a later date.

The inquest will resume on April 8, when Ndikas is expected to face cross-examination, as the court continues to piece together the events surrounding Masai’s killing during the protests.