A suspected serial killer has allegedly confessed to murdering 42 women, including his wife, and dumping their bodies at a rubbish tip in the Kenyan capital.
The discovery of nine mutilated bodies at the disused quarry, in the Mukuru slum in Nairobi late last week, horrified the country and triggered a huge manhunt.
The 33-year-old prime suspect was arrested in the early hours of Monday at a bar where he had been watching the Euro 2024 final.
Police said Collins Jumaisi Khalusha had confessed to more than three dozen killings with his wife being his first victim.
Mohamed Amin, head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, said: “We are dealing with a serial killer, a psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life.”
“The suspect confessed to have lured, killed and disposed of 42 female bodies at the dumping site.”
The murders took place between 2022 and last week.
“Unfortunately, and this is very sad, the suspect alleged that his first victim was his wife… who he strangled to death, before dismembering her body and disposing of it at the same site,” Mr Amin added.
Khalusha was reported to have taken police to his home, where they found 10 phones, a laptop, identity cards, female clothing and a machete officers believe was used to chop up victims.
The nine bodies recovered so far are all of women, aged 18 to 30.
Police are still questioning the suspect and he is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
A second man was arrested after allegedly being caught with a phone belonging to one of the victims.
The dumping site for the bodies was close to a police station, leading the country’s police watchdog to announce it would investigate whether officers were involved.
The Independent Police Oversight Authority said it was undertaking a preliminary investigation following “widespread allegations of police involvement in unlawful arrests [and] abductions”.
The police are under intense scrutiny after widespread anti-government protests late last month during which dozens of demonstrators were killed.
Officers are often accused of using excessive force and carrying out unlawful killings or running hit squads, but few have faced justice.
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