Kenyan police have taken disciplinary measures against eight officers over the escape of 13 detainees, including an alleged serial killer named Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, from Nairobi police cells.
Khalusha, a 33-year-old Kenyan, has allegedly confessed to murdering 42 women, including his wife. His lawyer claimed he was tortured and forced to confess.
The Kenyan authorities described Khalusha as a "psychopathic serial killer" and a "vampire".
He escaped along with other inmates, including Eritrean illegal immigrants, by cutting through wire mesh and scaling the perimeter wall. Police officers who were on duty at the time are suspected of having aided the escape.
Kenyan police launched a "major security operation" to recapture Khalusha.
This incident has put the Kenyan police force under scrutiny, as it is the second high-profile escape from custody in the span of six months.
Khalusha was arrested in July, after bodies of 10 individuals, including 9 women, and body parts were discovered in plastic bags in a quarry in Nairobi's Mukuru area.
Police said the area was searched after relatives of a missing woman were told in a dream where to look for her.
A forensic investigation showed that the victims had no bullet wounds, with one being strangled to death.
The Kenyan police watchdog and human rights agency are investigating the possibility of police involvement in the deaths, as the Kenyan police have faced accusations of impunity and using excessive force, especially in poor neighborhoods.
Sources: The Guardian, Washington Post , LA Times, CNN, Le Monde, New York Post, France 24, Libération, BirGün, Il Messaggero, LatestLY, Tuổi Trẻ, Newser, BeritaSatu, Africaïn.info, Lanka Times, Koha Ditore.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
