Chrispine Odawa, father of the late Rex Kanyeki Masai, has shared the harrowing ordeal of losing his son during the 2024 anti-government protest.
Speaking to a local media station on the night of Wednesday, June 25, 2025, Odawa said that on the fateful day, he had felt extremely unwell and had rushed home around midday.
He added that after he reached home, he switched on the TV and watched what was happening.
“That day, I felt unwell. I think God was preparing me for something that was coming. I felt very unwell and told the last client, ‘I cannot do the work today if it is not that urgent; let us do it tomorrow,’ and then I headed directly to the bus station at around 2:00 pm, “Odawa narrated.
“I reached home at around 3:00 pm and decided to close myself in. I never came out; I just switched on the TV and watched what was happening.”
Odawa went on to narrate that at around 7 pm, he received a call from his wife, who was crying and broke the news about Rex’s death. He explained that he hadn’t believed what she was saying, so he had hung up the phone and waited for her to come home.
“At around 7 pm, I received a call from my wife. She called me while crying and told me Rex is dead. I did not believe what she was saying; I just hung up the phone and waited for her to come back home, he added.
In addition, he stated that when his wife returned home, they had gathered with friends, and it was then that she had confirmed that Rex’s body was lying at the Bliss Medical Centre Hospital along Moi Avenue.
He added that he, his siblings, friends, and other relatives had rushed to the hospital and found Rex lying lifeless in a pool of blood.
“When she reached home, we gathered with friends, and that is when she confirmed that Rex’s body is lying at Bliss hospital along Moi Avenue, so together with the siblings, friends and other relatives, we rushed to the hospital and found Rex lying in a pool of blood, lifeless,”he disclosed.
Rex’s death
The 29-year-old was shot dead in Nairobi on June 20, 2024. His death quickly became a powerful rallying cry, igniting widespread outrage and sorrow across the country.
