Police announced on Monday that they had made significant progress in the investigation into the murders of individuals whose bodies were discovered at a dump site in Kware, Mukuru slums, Nairobi.
The Director of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin, is scheduled to hold a press conference on Monday morning, July 15, to provide updates on the developments in the case.
Officials disclosed that the suspect was apprehended on Monday morning in Kayole, where he had been hiding. Interestingly, he resides approximately 500 meters away from the Kware dump site, where police had recovered the remains of at least ten women in a gruesome operation.
According to police reports, the suspect has confessed to committing the serial killings. Described by one officer as a psychopath, the suspect was tracked to a residence in Kayole, where authorities reportedly caught him attempting to lure another victim.
During a raid of his house, police recovered ten mobile phones, seven identity cards, ten sim cards, a machete, gloves, several sacks similar to those found with the bodies at the dump site, and ropes.
“We believe we have a key and prime suspect in the murder of people whose bodies have been found dumped in the Kware area,” said one officer aware of the issue.
Detectives from the DCI headquarters also tracked money withdrawn from the latest murder victims during their operation. Police have hailed these developments as a breakthrough in the investigation, which had raised concerns within the government amid allegations of extrajudicial killings.
Among the items recovered, a mobile phone belonging to one of the identified victims, Josephine Owino, was found in possession of the suspect currently in custody. Josephine, who went missing on June 26, was one of two women identified so far; the second victim disappeared on June 28. Josephine’s body was discovered stuffed in a sack at the dump site.
The process of identifying the remaining victims is ongoing, with an autopsy scheduled for Monday, July 15, at the City Mortuary. Meanwhile, investigative teams continue their search for additional bodies, including decapitated remains at the dump site.
Detectives are pursuing three main theories regarding the discovery of the bodies. According to Amin, as of Sunday, all the recovered bodies at the City Mortuary were female and aged between 18 to 30 years old. Initially thought to be human body parts stuffed in bags, some were later identified as carcasses of dogs. Amin noted that despite varying levels of decomposition, all victims suffered a similar fate.
“The modus operandi was almost the same. If you look at the age, it was between 18-30. These are all female. If you look at how the bodies have been disguised and packaged – all the same,” Amin said.
He added the bodies were dumped at a similar spot at the dump site.
The DCI director further argued that there are various theories they are following in the issue.
“Are we dealing with a cult that is associated with criminal activities? Are we dealing with serial killers that are also associated with criminal activities? Or even, could we be dealing with rogue medical practitioners who are dealing with criminal activities? All these are hypotheses we have tried to bring on board.”
