By Nairobi, Kenya, July 2024 – Officers at a police station near a rubbish dump where dismembered body parts were found have been transferred, according to Kenya’s acting Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja Kiricho. Kiricho confirmed on Sunday that so far, eight female bodies had been retrieved from the site in the capital, Nairobi, Kenya.
Kenya’s police watchdog had previously announced it was investigating whether there was police involvement in these gruesome deaths, which are linked to allegations of widespread human rights abuses by officers during recent anti-government protests.
Kiricho stated that officers from Kware Police Station were being moved to ensure “fair and unbiased investigations” into the “heinous” deaths. Detectives have been searching the site in the Mukuru slum since Friday when the corpses of six women were found in sacks floating in a sea of rubbish. On Saturday, five other bags containing body parts were recovered.
Preliminary reports indicate that the bodies were in various stages of decomposition and that the deceased were aged between 18 and 30. Officers said some of the bags included severed legs and torsos, speculating that the deaths could be related to the activities of cults or serial killers.
The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) said that “widespread allegations of police involvement in unlawful arrests [and] abductions” prompted it to undertake a preliminary investigation to establish any police connection. Human rights groups have accused the police of shooting dozens of people who were demonstrating against the high cost of living earlier this month, some of them fatally.
At the site in Mukuru, IPOA investigators found several sacks containing human remains. The bodies in the bags were secured by nylon ropes, and had “multiple cuts and mutilation.”
Detectives and IPOA are continuing their investigation to determine whether there is any connection between the police and these deaths. More officers are expected to be moved from Kware Police Station as the investigation progresses.
Source:bbc.com
