The killing of activist Rex Kanyike Masai during the Gen Z protests of June 20, 2024, has taken a new turn after Safaricom PLC presented mobile phone data at the Milimani Law Courts.
The information has placed Police Constable Isaiah Murangiri Ndumba at the heart of the incident, casting a dark cloud over his earlier statements and raising sharp questions about his role in the tragedy.
Safaricom’s senior manager for law enforcement liaison, Zachary Kirogoi Mburu, delivered the evidence in court, confirming that the company had received two court orders requesting call records and location details of three police officers under investigation.
The officers were identified as Isaiah Murangiri Ndumba, Benson Kamau, and Michael Oginga Okello. The evidence sought to establish their movements and phone activity during the days leading to and on the day of Masai’s killing.
According to the records, Murangiri had two registered phone numbers that showed normal call activity on June 18, 2024. However, the following day, June 19, both lines went completely silent, raising concerns about whether the officer deliberately switched them off to conceal his movements.
The most striking revelation came from June 20, when Safaricom’s signals traced Murangiri’s phone to Nairobi’s Central Business District. The device was picked up by network masts covering St. Ellis House, Mama Ngina Street, and Kencom locations that directly contradicted his earlier account to investigators. This data placed him squarely in the area where Masai was fatally shot.
Kamau’s phone showed regular activity during the same period, while Okello’s line registered no call activity at all. This uneven pattern of engagement raised further suspicion about how each of the three officers handled themselves during the protests.
When pressed about the reliability of the data, Mburu explained that Safaricom’s network could trace a phone within a 200-meter radius in Nairobi’s CBD. He added that even a stationary phone could register across multiple masts depending on coverage, but stressed that the logs reflected actual network signals, not assumptions.
Lawyer David Mwangi, representing the Law Society of Kenya, questioned whether a line could appear active without the user making calls. Mburu was clear that Safaricom only presents what its systems record, without speculation on user behavior.
Further testimony from Safaricom employee Zachariah King’ori confirmed that Murangiri’s phone was active within the CBD at the very time Masai was gunned down. This evidence, tied with the fact that Murangiri was among the officers deployed to disperse the protests, has cast him in an even more damning light.
Over 60 people lost their lives during the demonstrations against the Finance Bill, and the Independent Police Oversight Authority is under pressure to ensure accountability.
Another witness, ballistic expert Alex Mwandawiro, also presented findings after examining weapons linked to the shooting. His testimony, alongside the mobile data, is tightening the noose around Murangiri.
The case is far from over, but the evidence presented so far paints a grim picture of a police officer caught between his duty and a serious crime. The hearing resumes on September 25, 2025, with the weight of justice now leaning heavily against Constable Murangiri.
