A man has confessed to killing 42 women in Kenya, as police have found nine dismembered bodies.
The remains were discovered in a quarry in the Mukuru slums in Nairobi.
The head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin, said that Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, 33, had confessed to killing 42 women, including his wife, since 2022.
They gave no evidence to support his claims, but Mr Amin added: “It is crystallising that we are dealing with a serial killer, a psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life”.
Khalusha is expected to appear in court on Tuesday.
On Friday it was claimed that one of the bodies recovered was male, but on Monday police said all nine bodies found so far were women.
It is alleged that Khalusha lured 42 women to their deaths, before dumping their remains in the quarry, Mr Amin said.
He added the latest alleged murder took place on 11 July.
Machete discovered
Police said they had found several mobile phones, identity cards, a machete they believed was used to cut up the victims, industrial rubber gloves, rolls of Sellotape and a dozen nylon bags similar to those in which the victims were found, at Khalusha’s home.
Crowds gathered to watch the remains being retrieved from the quarry over the weekend, with some ending up in running battles with police.
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Many local residents were angered by rumours the bodies were linked to alleged abductions of protesters by security forces during recent demonstrations in the country.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority, acknowledged the allegations of police involvement due to the location of the quarry being “less than 100m from a police station”.
Crowds watched from the edge of a quarry where the remains were discovered. Pic: AP
So far nine bodies have been found in the quarry. Pic: AP
Volunteers recover the body of a person from the quarry. Pic: Reuters
Acting Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja said on Friday that the officers in the local station had been transferred to make way for an investigation.
The watchdog added that all bodies had “visible marks of torture and mutilation”.
A man is lowered into a quarry where human remains were found in Nairobi. Pic: AP
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A statement signed by human rights groups over the weekend urged Kenya’s security agencies “to expedite investigations into all reports of enforced disappearances.”
This comes as Kenya has seen dozens of deaths following anti-government protests in recent weeks.
President William Ruto abandoned controversial tax rises, but crowds remained on the streets and refused talks after his officers shot and killed protesters.