Kenyan police have arrested a man they have described as a “serial killer” who they suspect was behind the tragic murders of nine girls whose dismembered bodies were found dumped in a disused mine waste dump. Were found.
Police say that 33-year-old Collins Jomaysi Khalusha, along with his wife, has confessed to killing 42 girls since 2022.
The suspect was arrested from a bar on Monday morning while he was watching the Euro final.
There was shock and outrage in Kenya as the dismembered bodies were first found on Friday in the Mukuru mine in the capital, Nairobi.
“(He) has confessed to luring and killing 42 women and disposing of their bodies at a dumping site, all murdered between 2022 and as recently as Thursday,” Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) chief Mohammad Amin said. “
Many Kenyans are asking how 42 people could be murdered in a span of two years without police being informed.
Mr Amin said that after his arrest, the suspect led police officers to his home, which was about 100 meters (yards) from the crime scene.
Police displayed some of the items recovered from the suspect’s house to the media, including 10 phones, a laptop, identity cards and personal female clothing.
They also found a knife, which they believed “was being used to dismember the victims”, and nine sacks used to dispose of the bodies.
Since Friday, police have cordoned off the dustbin where the bodies were found in various stages of decomposition.
According to police, the victims were between 18 and 30 years old and were all killed in the same manner.
While officials have confirmed that nine bodies have been found in the mine so far, local residents say the number is higher.
Joseph Waweru, who was involved in the recovery of the bodies, told the BBC that he counted 16 bodies, all of which were badly mutilated.
Police said they are still interrogating the suspect to ascertain the motive for the killings and he will be produced in court on Tuesday.
He said his arrest followed “forensic analysis” of a mobile phone that belonged to one of the victims, Josephine Mulongo Owino, “where some mobile money transactions were made on the same day (she) went missing”. .
Police said that post-mortem of the bodies is being done.
He has asked families “who believe their loved ones may have been victims of these gruesome murders” to report to police.
Mr. Amin said, “It is clear that we are dealing with a serial killer, a psychopathic serial killer, who has no respect for human life, who has no respect and dignity.”
Emmanuel Ogongo, whose sister went missing on June 28, said he has identified a body from the dump site that resembles hers.
He said that the body had the same hairstyle and clothes that she was wearing at the time of her disappearance.
Till now only the torso has been found.
He said a second person who was in possession of a phone belonging to one of the victims has also been arrested and will be treated as an accomplice or suspect.
Kenya’s police watchdog previously said it was investigating whether there was any police involvement in the crimes because the dumpsite is close to a police station.
Acting police chief Douglas Kanza said officers working there had been transferred to ensure a “fair and impartial investigation” into the “heinous” deaths. Said Earlier.
The Independent Police Oversight Authority said “widespread allegations of police involvement in unlawful arrests (and) abductions” meant it was conducting a preliminary investigation to determine whether there was a police connection.
Hussein Khalid, head of the Haqi Africa campaign group, told the BBC that police needed to find out how the killings happened just meters from a police station.
The discovery of these bodies comes at a difficult time for Kenyan police.
Human rights groups have accused police of shooting dozens of people protesting against planned tax increases earlier this month, some of whom died.
Many Kenyans are calling on police to investigate allegations of kidnappings and killings from the protests in the same way they have investigated the Mukuru deaths.
on Friday, Kenya’s police chief Japhet Koum resignsA day after President William Ruto fired his entire cabinet In the wake of deadly protests.
The murders are being seen as the latest failure of the police to adequately deal with the crime, particularly because it took place so close to a police station.
Some Kenyans are questioning why the police have been unable to solve it. Rita Veni’s death, Whose decomposed body was found in a short-term rental apartment in Nairobi earlier this year.
Like the latest gruesome deaths, Weni’s brutal murder shocked and angered many Kenyans. It launched an online campaign urging the protection of women and girls.
Kenyans were horrified last year after the remains of hundreds of people linked to a doomsday cult were found in the Indian Ocean coastal city of Malindi.
Paul Nthenge McKenzie was tried in Mombasa on terrorism and murder charges over the deaths of more than 440 of his fans.
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