Two protesters who participated in the June 20, 2024 demonstrations against the failed Finance Bill accused police officers of using excessive force, brutality and deliberate neglect of an injured protester.
Mekatilili Mweru and Laban Njoroge, detailed how they were cornered and beaten by officers near Norwich House in Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD).
They also claimed police refused to assist a severely injured protester, instead telling his friend “Mwacheni akufie hapo” loosely translated to “Let him die there”.
Though she did not see the officer who uttered the words, she described the scene as chaotic, with police using force to disperse protesters.
“They were beating us simultaneously, I was injured on my right hand. Other than my head, they were hitting us everywhere,” she testified.
According to Mekatilili Mweru who is a poultry farmer, her and Laban joined other demonstrators across the CBD in rejecting the Finance Bill.
As the protests intensified, they decided to leave for home at around 7:00 p.m.
While walking along Moi Avenue, they stopped briefly to join a group of protesters dancing.
Moments later, police officers arrived, charging at the crowd from all directions.
“Because the police were coming from all sides, we had to escape through a narrow lane. There were so many of us that before you could take another step, you had already been pushed forward. It became a stampede,” Mweru recounted.
Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo heard that Laban tripped over on an abandoned motorcycle, forcing Mweru to wait for him as the crowd fled.
They decided to seek refuge inside Norwich House, she said, but they were denied entry by a security guard.
A group of about ten officers allegedly caught up with them moments later.
“They had long guns and batons. They first attacked Laban, then turned to me. They kicked us, hit us with their hands,boots and batons, and struck me on my right hand so badly that I had to get stitches,” Mweru said.
Laban confirmed this account, saying he could not identify the officers as he was focused on shielding himself.
“I was just sitting down, and they beat us until they were satisfied,” he stated.
Laban testified that he saw a man lying by the road while his friend begged the police for help.
“The police told him, ‘Mwacheni akufie hapo’—let him die there,” Laban recalled.
Shortly after, they had left Norwich house an individual believed to be a journalist approached them at Mouth Kenya university (MKU) towers and showed them a photograph of an injured man.
The security guard, who had initially refused to let them in, changed his mind after seeing their injuries and allowed them inside the building.
Later that night, they learned that the young man had died.
Mweru and Laban maintain that none of the Gen Z protesters were armed.
They also claimed that some police officers in civilian clothing were mixed among the uniformed officers.
According to Mweru the protests had remained peaceful for most of the day until around 5 PM, when the police moved in aggressively.
“There were teargas the whole day, and sometimes the sounds made us wonder whether that was really just teargas or something more,” Mweru said.
Rex Masai was shot and killed during the Gen Z protests in June 2024, which were held in opposition to the Finance Bill 2024 and various other governance issues.
The public inquest into the tragic death of Rex will resume on May 12.
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