Kenyan police have arrested a suspect after confessing to the gruesome murder of 42 women, whose dismembered bodies were dumped at a rubbish tip in Nairobi.
The chilling discovery has sent shockwaves across the country.
Acting Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja on Monday announced the arrest of the 33-year-old prime suspect, Collins Jumaisi Khalusha.
Khalusha was apprehended near a bar around 3 am local time.
Head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Mohamed Amin, described Khalusha as a “psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life.”
The arrest was the result of a joint operation by the DCI and the National Police Service.
Khalusha confessed to luring, killing, and disposing of the bodies of 42 women at the Mukuru slum dumping site between 2022 and July 11, 2024.
His first victim, tragically, was his wife, whom he strangled, dismembered, and discarded at the same location.
LEADERSHIP reports that since Friday, police have recovered nine mutilated and dismembered bodies trussed in plastic bags from the garbage site.
All the bodies recovered so far have been female while autopsies on the victims are set to be conducted on Monday.
Amin also revealed the arrest of a second suspect, caught with a mobile phone belonging to one of the victims.
The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) is investigating potential police involvement in the case, noting the proximity of the dumpsite to a police station just 100 meters away.
Kanja, recently appointed following the fallout from last month’s protest bloodshed transferred all officers from the nearby police post last week.
Tensions escalated at the crime scene over the weekend as volunteers searched the vast piles of rubbish for more victims.
Conflict arose when locals attempting to take a bag from the quarry to the police station were met with tear gas volleys, according to an AFP journalist.
Kenyan police face frequent accusations from rights groups of excessive force and unlawful killings, but few officers have faced justice.
This latest case adds further pressure on President William Ruto, who is already dealing with a crisis stemming from widespread anti-government protests that have resulted in numerous demonstrator deaths.
