Kenyan serial killer who murdered 42 women escapes...

Kenyan serial killer who murdered 42 women escapes from police custody

A man points towards a body while standing with others on the edge of a dumpsite where six bodies were found at the landfill in Mukuru slum, Nairobi, on July 12, 2024.

Zim Now Writer

Kenyan police have launched a manhunt after a suspected serial killer who is believed to have murdered dozens of women on Tuesday escaped from police station.

The suspect had been arrested on July 15 this year after the discovery of mutilated bodies in a rubbish dump in the capital, Nairobi, and had confessed to killing 42 women.

The suspect escaped from a police cell along with a dozen other people.

The police arrested eight of their own officers who were on duty at the time and have been suspended and “placed in custody”, adding that the matter was being investigated by the Internal Affairs Unit.

The escapees include Collins Jumaisi, 33, described by police as a “vampire, a psychopath”, who was arrested last month after the horrific discovery of mutilated bodies in a dump in a slum of the Kenyan capital.

Jumaisi and the 12 others, all Eritrean nationals, appeared to have escaped by cutting through a wire mesh roof at the police station.

“Our preliminary investigations indicate that the escape was aided by insiders,” acting national police chief Gilbert Masengeli said in a statement.

Police said they discovered the breakout when officers made a routine visit to the cells at around 5 am to serve the prisoners breakfast.

“On opening the cell door, they discovered that 13 prisoners had escaped by cutting the wire mesh in the basking bay,” police said, referring to a covered courtyard area in the station where detainees could get access to fresh air.

The 12 Eritreans had been arrested for being in Kenya illegally, police said, adding that four others who did not escape were helping with the investigation.

The police station is located in the upmarket Nairobi district of Gigiri, home to the regional headquarters of the United Nations and numerous embassies.

It is the second time in barely six months that a suspect in a high-profile case has escaped from custody.

Kenyan national, Kevin Kangethe, who is accused of murdering his girlfriend in the United States last year and leaving her body in an airport car park, fled a police station in February before being caught about a week later.

Jumaisi had appeared in a court in the Kenyan capital on Friday, when the magistrate ordered him to be held for a further 30 days to enable police to complete their investigations.