Kenyan police arrest suspect accused of killing 42 women

Police had only recovered nine of the bodies so far, an official said in a Monday news conference. Authorities would be conducting autopsies on the bodies that day, added Acting Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja. The suspect told police he killed dozens more women since 2022. The suspect admitted that his latest murder took place on Thursday, Directorate of Criminal Investigations Mohamed Amin said.

What do authorities know about the suspect? The suspect, who is 33 years old, confessed that his first victim was his wife, Amin said. The alleged killer admitted to leaving his victims’ bodies at a dumping ground, authorities said.

How did authorities find the suspect? Amin said investigators were led to the suspect after a forensic analysis of a mobile phone showed that one of the victims had engaged in financial transactions with him on the day she went missing. Amin said police officers arrested the suspect just after 3 a.m. Monday outside a club in Soweto where he had gone to watch the Euro 2024 soccer finals. After his arrest, the suspect led officers to his single-room rental home where they found a machete, cell phones, and various paraphernalia possibly from his victims. Both the victim’s house and the dumping ground where he left the bodies are active crime scenes, Amin said. Police are still investigating.

Dig deeper: Read Onize Ohikere’s report about how Kenyans recently protested promised tax hikes.