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Kenyan police have arrested a man described as a “serial killer” suspected of murdering nine women whose mutilated bodies were discovered in a disused quarry used as a rubbish dump. Collins Jomaisi Khalusha, 33, confessed to killing 42 women since 2022, including his own wife. The suspect was apprehended early Monday morning at a bar while watching the Euro final.
The discovery of the first dismembered bodies at the Mukuru quarry in Nairobi on Friday has sparked shock and outrage across Kenya. Mohamed Amin, head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), stated, “He confessed to having lured, killed, and disposed of 42 female bodies at the dumping site, all murdered between 2022 and as recently as Thursday.”
Many Kenyans are questioning how 42 murders could occur over two years without police noticing. After his arrest, Khalusha led police to his house, about 100 meters (328 feet) from the crime scene. Police displayed items recovered from his house, including 10 phones, a laptop, identity cards, female clothing, a machete believed to have been used to dismember the victims, and nine sacks similar to those used to dispose of the bodies.
Since Friday, police have cordoned off the dumpsite where the bodies were found in various stages of decomposition. The victims, aged between 18 and 30, were all killed in the same manner, according to the police. While authorities have confirmed nine bodies, local residents claim the number is higher. Joseph Waweru, involved in retrieving the bodies, counted 16 bodies, all severely dismembered.
Police are interrogating Khalusha to determine the motive for the killings. His arrest followed a “forensic analysis” of a mobile phone belonging to one of the victims, Josephine Mulongo Owino, on which mobile money transactions were conducted the day she went missing. Post-mortem examinations are underway, and families who believe their loved ones may be victims are asked to report to the police.
“It is crystallizing that we are dealing with a serial killer, a psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life,” said Mr. Amin. Emmanuel Ogongo, whose sister went missing on June 28, identified a body from the dump site that resembled her, noting the same hairstyle and outfit she wore when she disappeared. Only the torso has been found so far.
A second person with a phone belonging to one of the victims has also been arrested and is being treated as either an accomplice or suspect. Kenya’s police watchdog is investigating potential police involvement in the crimes, given the dumpsite’s proximity to a police station. Officers working there have been transferred to ensure “fair and unbiased investigations” into the “heinous” deaths, according to acting police chief Douglas Kanja.
The Independent Police Oversight Authority is conducting a preliminary investigation due to widespread allegations of police involvement in unlawful arrests and abductions. Hussein Khalid, head of the Haki Africa campaign group, emphasized the need for police to address how the murders occurred just meters from a police station.
The discovery of these bodies comes at a challenging time for Kenya’s police, who have been accused by human rights groups of fatally shooting demonstrators protesting planned tax hikes earlier this month. Many Kenyans are calling for a thorough investigation into both the Mukuru deaths and the allegations of abductions and killings from the protests.
On Friday, Kenya’s police chief Japhet Koome resigned, a day after President William Ruto fired his entire cabinet following the deadly protests. The killings are seen as another police failure to address crime, especially given their proximity to a police station. Some Kenyans are also questioning why the police have not solved the earlier murder of Rita Waeni, whose dismembered body was found in a short-term rental apartment in Nairobi.
Waeni’s brutal murder, like the latest deaths, shocked and angered many Kenyans, sparking an online campaign for the protection of women and girls. Last year, the remains of hundreds of people associated with a doomsday cult were discovered in Malindi, with cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie recently going on trial for terrorism and murder over the deaths of more than 440 followers.
