A manhunt is underway in Kenya following the escape from a Nairobi police cell of a serial killer who allegedly confessed to murdering 42 women after dismembered bodies were discovered in a quarry.
The serial killer named Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, 33, who was described by police as a “vampire, a psychopath” after his arrest on July 15, escaped on Tuesday morning with 12 undocumented Eritrean migrants, Kenya police spokeswoman Resila Onyango confirmed.
Their escape was found when policemen paid a normal visit to the police station cells about 5 a.m. (02:00 GMT) to serve the detainees breakfast, according to a separate statement.
“On opening the cell door, they found that 13 prisoners had escaped by cutting the wire mesh in the basking bay,” it said, referring to an area in the station where detainees could get access to fresh air.
The police station is in Nairobi’s upscale Gigiri district, which also houses the United Nations regional headquarters and other embassies. According to Gilbert Masengeli, the acting police inspector general, disciplinary action was initiated against eight officers on duty after early investigations “indicate that the escape was aided by insiders.”.
Khalusha appeared in court in Kenya’s capital on Friday, and the magistrate ordered him to be held for an additional 30 days to allow police to complete their investigations.
Mohamed Amin, the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, stated following Khalusha’s arrest that he had confessed to murdering 42 women during a two-year period beginning in 2022, with his wife being his first victim.
“We are dealing with a serial killer, a psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life, who has no respect and dignity,” Amin said at the time.
However, the suspect’s lawyer, John Maina Ndegwa, claimed in court that Khalusha was “tortured” into giving the confession.
The prosecutors refuted the claims. Last month, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported that ten slaughtered female remains trussed up in plastic bags were discovered in the dumpsite of an abandoned quarry in the Nairobi slum of Mukuru.
Last month, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) reported that ten slaughtered female remains trussed up in plastic bags were discovered in the dumpsite of an abandoned quarry in the Nairobi slum of Mukuru.
The area is only 100 meters from the police station. This shone a light on Kenya’s police force, which was under fire following a harsh crackdown on antigovernment protests, with rights groups accusing officers of employing excessive force.
The state-funded KNCHR announced in July that it was conducting its own inquiry into the Mukuru case because “there is a need to rule out any possibility of extrajudicial killings.”.
Kenya’s police watchdog, the Independent Police Oversight Authority, said it was investigating whether there was any police participation or a “failure to act to prevent” the killings.
