A boda boda rider testified on Thursday
that he overheard police officers telling a Gen Z protester, who was seeking to
help after seeing one of their own lying in a pool of blood, to "let him
die there."
This occurred on the same day Rex Masai is
alleged to have been fatally shot during the anti-finance bill protests.
Laban Njoroge told a public inquest into
the hearing of Masai's fatal shooting that he wasn't able to identify the young
man who was lying in a pool of blood, but he heard the officers utter the said
words when one of the Gen Z protestors sought the officers’ help.
"Wacha akufie hapo," is what I
heard the officers say.
The witness explained that he was in poor
condition, having been beaten by the police to the point where he lacked the
strength to pursue the matter at the time.
He described the officers, armed with
batons, as brutal.
"They used excessive force,"
recalled Laban.
Laban and his friend Mekatilili Mweru testified
to joining other protestors in Nairobi CBD during the June anti-finance bill
protests.
They left their home town at around 2 pm and
joined the rest of the protestors in the city center.
Laban says he has only a bottle of water
with him, while Mekatilili has a Kenyan flag.
Not familiar with Nairobi streets, Laban
said they moved through the CBD chanting 'reject finance bill'.
"At around 6:45 pm when it was time to
head home, officers manning the streets emerged. We started running and sought
shelter from a nearby building, but the security guard would not let us
in," said Laban.
The officers caught up with him and the others
where they were clobbered.
Eventually, when they managed to get out of
the scene, Laban explained that he saw a young man lying in a pool of blood.
It was at this juncture that he heard one
of the officers saying, "Wacha akufie hapo".
Although Laban said he didn't see an
officer shoot on that day, he acknowledged having been beaten around his pelvic
area by uniformed police officers.
"I could hear sounds, but I couldn't
tell whether it was the sound of a gunshot or a tear gas. But I didn't see an
officer shoot," he said.
The inquest which was set to proceed for
hearing on Friday, was adjourned to May 12.
