Nairobi, Kenya — Call records presented in court have placed police officer Corporal Isaiah Murangiri at the heart of Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD) during the June 2024 anti-finance bill protests, contradicting his testimony that he stopped using the number a year earlier.
Safaricom Testifies in Milimani Court
Appearing before Principal Magistrate Geoffrey Onsarigo at the Milimani Law Courts, Safaricom Senior Manager Zachary Kirogoi Mburu confirmed that the telecom company released call data for three numbers linked to Murangiri, Benson Kamau, and Michael Oginga Okello after receiving two production orders.
The call logs showed that the lines were active between June 18 and June 20, 2024, with signals bouncing off masts in several parts of Nairobi CBD, including:
-
Kencom
-
Accra House
-
Wincer House
-
St. Ellis
-
KBC Towers
-
Hill Town
Mburu explained that mobile phones connect to the nearest available mast within a five-kilometre coverage area, making it possible for a subscriber to appear under different towers while remaining in one spot.
“It is possible for a subscriber to remain in one spot, yet different masts will still capture the signal,” he told the court.
Prosecutors argued that the call logs weakened Murangiri’s defence and tied him directly to the city centre during the period under investigation.
Ballistics Report on Bullet Fragment
The court also heard testimony from Senior Superintendent Alex Mudindi Mwandawiro, a forensic ballistics expert with the DCI.
He said the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) submitted a damaged copper bullet jacket weighing 0.83 grams for testing on July 1, 2024. The fragment was part of a 5.56mm rifle round that had struck a hard object, leaving the bullet core missing.
When compared to several firearms presented for analysis—including three pistols from the DCI armoury—no match was established.
Mwandawiro clarified that:
-
The Ceska F7226 pistol cited in IPOA’s documents was not among the firearms tested.
-
Rifles such as Chalbi models and AK-101s were ruled out because they use different calibres.
“The findings were inconclusive because the firearms supplied were of different calibres, and the bullet jacket did not match any of the pistols presented,” he testified.
Background: The Death of Rex Masai
The case stems from the death of protester Rex Masai, who was shot along Moi Avenue during the anti-finance bill demonstrations in June 2024.
Corporal Murangiri, along with other officers, has been mentioned in connection with the incident. Investigators are relying on mobile phone data, ballistic analysis, and eyewitness accounts to piece together the events that led to Masai’s killing.
The case will be mentioned again on September 25, 2025, when more witnesses are expected to testify.