Former Central Police Commander Dorris Mugambi has denied police involvement in the fatal shooting of Rex Kanyike Masai during the Gen Z-led protests, saying no officer under her command fired live ammunition during the demonstration.
Testifying for the second time in the ongoing inquest, Mugambi — now serving as Kiambu County Police Commander — told the court that police stations within Nairobi’s jurisdiction, including Central, Kamukunji, Ngara, KICC and Parliament, did not issue live rounds to officers on January 20th, the day Masai was shot.
“There was no live ammunition used… from the report on all the stations under Central,” she stated.
Mugambi insisted that each Officer Commanding Station (OCS) was solely responsible for deployment and field reports, and maintained there was no official deployment on the day of the protest, which she described as spontaneous.
“If we can have the right deployment of that day, we will be able to move forward… did we have any other person, maybe a licensed gun holder?” she posed to the court, raising the possibility that the fatal shot may not have come from a police officer.
“We don’t enjoy the monopoly of having firearms… not unless you tell me with certainty that this bullet came from an officer,” Mugambi said.
She further distanced herself from Isaiah Murangiri — the officer widely linked to the shooting — claiming she could not be expected to know every junior officer.
“The junior officers are not under my command,” she added.
The inquest, which seeks to uncover the circumstances of Rex Masai’s death, has so far heard from key figures within the police service. Ten more witnesses are expected to testify when the proceedings resume on July 16th.
Meanwhile, Masai’s family has called on the court to hasten the process as they prepare to mark one year since his death, which sparked nationwide outrage and street protests.
