Kware Murders: Suspect Claims Police Torture and Coercion Led to False Confession

A woman’s dream about her sister being dumped in the Kware area of Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums on the outskirts of Nairobi led to the discovery of a crime scene, astonishingly located right next to a police station. This might seem ironic elsewhere, but in Kenya, it is sadly typical news.

One in three people has faced police abuse or harassment, and between 2019 and 2021, over 500 police killings have been documented in Kenya, according to the International Justice Mission.

A man labeled a "serial killer" by Kenyan police was coerced into confessing through torture, his lawyer told a court in Nairobi. Police stated that Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, 33, admitted to killing 42 women, including his wife, since 2022, following his arrest on Monday. He was detained after nine mutilated bodies were discovered at an abandoned quarry in Nairobi.

Prosecutors denied any mistreatment, and the court ruled that Khalusha could be held for a month pending further investigations. His lawyer, John Maina Ndegwa, claimed that officers had molested his client and that the confession was obtained under duress, calling it "laughable" to suggest he had confessed willingly.

“My client, as he sits there, is in dire need of urgent medical attention…for reasons that the period under detention, he was subjected to molestation, torture and the confession that the public is being treated to having murdered 42 persons is laughable,” Ndegwa argued before the Makadara Law Courts.

“My client has been subjected to horrendous inhuman mistreatment so that he can confess to issues which are alien to him. I pray that the court directs for urgent medical attention even as they do their investigations.”

After the hearing, where Khalusha appeared in handcuffs and did not speak, Ndegwa expressed hope that the confession would be removed from court records. He stated that Khalusha had been strangled to force a confession, noting his client's distress and terror, and requested urgent medical treatment for him.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) dismissed allegations of abuse, stating that only one officer was assigned to take the suspect's statement. The DCI requested to detain Collins Jumaisi Khalusha for 30 days to complete the murder investigation, arguing that his release could lead to further criminal activities. They cited the need for more time to trace witnesses and victims' families, conduct DNA sampling, an identification parade, and a mental assessment of the suspect.

The defense opposed this request, suggesting only a 14-day detention, arguing that much of the evidence presented was speculative and that the suspect has a right to bail and a fair trial. However, Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi granted the DCI's request to detain the suspect for 30 days to complete their investigations.

Residents of Kware area in Embakasi South look at bodies retrieved from the Kware dumpsite, last week. 

Khalusha was arrested at a bar early Monday morning while watching the Euro 2024 football final between Spain and England. Police reported that he then led officers to his house near the crime scene, where they found 10 phones, a laptop, identity cards, and personal female clothing.

Since Friday, police have cordoned off the Mukuru quarry dumpsite, where the bodies were found in various stages of decomposition. The victims, aged between 18 and 30, were all killed in the same manner, according to the police.

The murders have caused shock and outrage in Kenya, with public anger directed at the police for allowing such crimes to go unnoticed for so long. Kenya's police have been accused of widespread human rights abuses in the past and are currently under investigation for deaths and abductions following recent anti-government protests.

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