Fredrick Omondi, who was reportedly among the protestors during 2024 anti-Finance Bill demonstrations, has stated that he did not observe any goons or gangs participating in the protests.
“I never saw goons or gangs. It was just the police and the protestors,” he explained during his testimony in the inquest into the death of Rex Masai.
He went on to mention that he saw both uniformed and plainclothes officers present during the protests.
“The first time I saw the plainclothes officers, they were among those in uniform. Later, they left the group of uniformed police officers and moved into the crowd,” he said.
Omondi recounted that the shooting began shortly after the protestors passed the KCB building on Mama Ngina Street.
However, he made it clear that he was not present at the scene where Rex Masai was shot.
Nevertheless, he testified that he had witnessed police officers firing live bullets at the protestors.
“I saw a police officer shooting live bullets, and if given the chance, I can identify him,” he submitted.
Omondi also mentioned that he had collected several spent and live cartridges from various locations, specifically along GPO and near Kencom.
“They were shooting live rounds. I could tell from the sounds. But these were not from the Rex Masai scene,” he said.
He described the aggression as being one-sided: “The police were always moving toward the protestors,” he noted.
In his testimony, Omondi detailed one specific instance where he saw an officer in civilian attire, wearing a black cap, armed with a pistol and a club, shooting directly at the protestors.
“He was shooting live rounds of ammunition using his pistol,” he said.
The officer was dressed in white sports shoes, dark blue jeans, a black cap, and a dark jacket.
