He lured, killed 42 women and disposed of their bodies: The story behind the grisly murders that rocked Kenya

Kenya has been rocked by the arrest of a suspected serial killer, who confessed to murdering 42 women over the past two years in Nairobi.

The murders have rattled the East African nation of 55 million people, with women’s groups calling for enhanced protection for women.

Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, 33, lured, killed, and disposed of 42 female bodies, of which only nine have been recovered from a garbage dump, Kenya’s director of criminal investigations, Mohamed Amin, told the media.

“We are dealing with a serial killer, a psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for life. We are dealing with a vampire, a psychopath,” Amin added.

The killings in Nairobi’s Mukuru kwa Njenga neighbourhood follow the “Shakahola forest massacre” when the bodies of around 400 members of a doomsday cult were discovered in mass graves near the coast last year.

How did Khalusha carry out the murders?

Khalusha told police that the murders took place between 2022 and last Thursday. “The suspect confessed to have lured, killed and disposed of 42 female bodies at the dumping site. 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 it,” Amin told reporters. “From his interrogation, all his victims have been murdered in like manner.”

Where were the bodies found?

The mutilated remains of nine women were found stuffed into sacks near the Kware dump, an abandoned quarry which is currently filled with water and used as a dump site. The first six bodies were found on Friday by Kware residents.

How many bodies have been recovered?

Acting police inspector general Douglas Kanja, in a statement, confirmed that nine bodies had been recovered so far and a post-mortem examination is underway.

Ahead of Khalusha’s arrest, Kanja told a news conference on Sunday that the bodies “were severely dismembered, in different states of decomposition, and left in sacks”.

What sparked the investigation?

Kenyan police launched investigations after discovering the mutilated remains of nine women near the Kware dump. It prompted speculation that a serial killer or a cult leader could be operating in the area.

How did the police catch the suspect?

Khalusha was arrested in a joint operation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the national police after an intensive investigation. The arrest followed “forensic analysis of a mobile phone belonging to one of the victims, Josphine Mulongo Owino, where mobile money transactions conducted on the day she went missing pointed to the suspect,” according to Amin.

Where was Khalusha arrested?

Khalusha was arrested in Soweto, east of the capital Nairobi, at 3am local time (4am UAE) on Monday, outside a club where he had gone to watch the Euro 2024 football final, Amin said. When the officer caught Khalusha, he was in the process of luring another victim, a woman police identified as Susan, he added.

How did Khalusha carry out the murders?

The specific methods Khalusha used to commit the murders have not been publicly disclosed yet. But police believe a machete recovered from his house may have been used to dismember the victims.

Who are the victims?

The mutilated bodies recovered so far belonged to women between the ages of 18 and 30.

What are the details of his confession?

Khalusha confessed to murdering 42 women, including his wife, police said. His alleged killing spree began in 2022, and some of the victims were killed just four days before his arrest.

What did the police find in Khalusha’s house?

The suspect’s one-room house is located 100 metres from where the bodies were found. In the house, police officers found 10 cell phones and 24 SIM cards, six ID cards for men and two ID cards for women, nylon sacks, rope, a pair of industrial rubber gloves, a pink female handbag, female underwear and a machete, which police believe was used to dismember some of the victims.

What were his motives for the murders?

Police are still interrogating Kalusha to determine the motive for the killings. They are yet to disclose any details.

Were there any patterns to the murders?

Kenyan police are yet to release specific details about the patterns in the murders.

Did Khalusha have an accomplice?

Kenyan police confirmed a second arrest without providing further information on the suspect’s identity or how the person is connected to the murders. “We have a second suspect who was caught with one of the handsets from one of the victims,” Amin said.

Why is the police criticised?

The suspect lived a short walk from the dumpsite, which raised questions about how he evaded detection for two years.

Kenya’s police watchdog, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, said it was looking into any possible police connection since the dump site was close to a police station. The watchdog was also investigating whether there was a failure to act to prevent the killings.

Acting police chief Kanja told reporters on Friday that all officers at the police post located near the garbage dump, where the bodies were found, had been transferred.