Kenyan police have detained a man they describe as a “serial killer” suspected of being responsible for the grisly murder of nine women, whose mangled bodies were discovered in a disused quarry used as a waste dump.
Police said Jomaisi Khalisia, 33, admitted to killing 42 women since 2022, including his own wife.
The serial killer was caught at a pub early Monday morning while watching the Euro final.
Kenyans have been shocked and outraged since the discovery of the first dismembered remains on Friday in the capital, Nairobi.
“[He] confessed to having lured, killed, and disposed of 42 female bodies at the dumping site, all murdered between 2022 and as recent as Thursday,” said Mohamed Amin, head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
He claimed that after being arrested, the suspect led police to his home, which was around 100 metres (yards) from the crime scene.
Mr. Amin stated that they discovered significant evidence in the suspect’s home, including ten phones, a laptop, a machete, identification cards, and personal female clothes.
They also discovered a machete they “believed was being used to dismember the victims” and nine sacks similar to those used to dispose of the bodies.
Since Friday, authorities have blocked off the dumpsite where the bodies were discovered in varying states of decomposition.
According to officials, the victims ranged in age from 18 to 30.
The Force say they are currently interrogating the suspect to determine the motive for the deaths, and he will be arraigned in court on Tuesday.
The Command’s watchdog previously stated that it was investigating whether there was any police participation in the crimes because the dumpsite was located near a police station.
The Command said “widespread allegations of police involvement in unlawful arrests and abductions” meant it was undertaking a preliminary investigation to establish whether there was any police connection.
