Mukuru dump: Kenyan police relocated following body parts discovery

Kenya’s acting inspector general of police said officers from a police station near the rubbish dump where the dismembered body parts were found had been transferred.

Douglas Kanja Kirocho said on Sunday that eight female bodies had so far been retrieved from the site in the capital, Nairobi.

Kenya’s police watchdog previously said it was investigating whether police were involved in the brutal death amid allegations of widespread human rights abuses by officers during recent anti-government protests.

Kirocho said officers from Kwale Police Station had been transferred to ensure a “fair and impartial investigation” into the “heinous” deaths.

Detectives have been searching the scene in Mukur slum since the bodies of six women were discovered in bags floating in a sea of ​​rubbish on Friday.

Five other bags containing body parts were recovered on Saturday.

Preliminary reports said the bodies were in various stages of decomposition and the ages of the deceased ranged from 18 to 30 years old.

Officers said the bag contained severed legs and torso parts and speculated the cause of death could be linked to the activity of a cultist or serial killer.

But the independent police watchdog said there were “widespread allegations that police are involved in unlawful arrests”. [and] The “abduction” means police are conducting a preliminary investigation to see if there is any connection.

Police are also accused of abducting and arbitrarily arresting hundreds more people during the protests.

Regarding the body found in Mukuru, the independent police watchdog said: “The body was found wrapped in a bag and secured with nylon rope and showed signs of torture and mutilation.”

The watchdog also noted that the dumping site is located less than 100 metres from Kwale Police Station.

Contradicting police reports, the Independent Police Watch said nine dismembered bodies had been found at a rubbish dump in Mukuru – seven of them women and two men.

Quirocho said police were working to complete their investigation into the deaths “within 21 days.”

The body is being kept at a mortuary in Nairobi awaiting the results of an autopsy.

Local media reported that police deployed two water cannons to the scene on Saturday after angry protesters threatened to open bags full of human bones.

Officials from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) accused the protesters of disrupting investigations and asked people to remain calm and allow space for the findings to be investigated.

The horrific discovery put pressure on President William Ruto, who vowed to punish those behind the murder.

“We are a democratic nation guided by the rule of law and those involved in the mysterious killings in Nairobi and other parts of the country will be held accountable,” he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

The incident is the latest disturbing incident in Kenya.

Last year, the discovery of hundreds of bodies linked to a doomsday cult in the Indian Ocean coastal town of Malindi sparked fear across the country.

Paul Ntenge Mackenzie went on trial in Mombasa earlier this week on terrorism and murder charges for his role in the deaths of more than 440 followers – charges he denies.

He allegedly encouraged men, women and children to starve to death to “meet Jesus”, in one of the world’s worst cult-related massacres.