Kenyan Police Offer Cash Reward for Information on Escaped Serial Killer
Kenyan police have launched a manhunt for a suspected serial killer who escaped from a Nairobi police cell on Tuesday, along with 12 Eritreans. Collins Jumaisi, 33, is accused of murdering and dismembering dozens of women, and police have offered a cash reward for information leading to his arrest.
Jumaisi, described by police as a “vampire, a psychopath,” was arrested last month after the gruesome discovery of a number of mutilated female bodies in a rubbish dump in the Mukuru slum area in Nairobi. He has confessed to murdering 42 women over a two-year period from 2022, with his wife being his first victim. However, the suspect has claimed he was tortured after his arrest.
Five officers appeared in court on Wednesday suspected of aiding Jumaisi’s escape and have been freed on a 200,000 Kenyan shilling ($1,500) bond, despite prosecutors seeking an order to keep them in custody for 14 days. The officers said Jumaisi and the other men escaped by cutting through a wire mesh roof where he was being held, before scaling a perimeter wall.
“A significant cash reward will be provided to anyone with credible information leading to the suspect’s arrest,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said, without specifying an amount.
This is the second time in barely six months that a suspect in a high-profile case has escaped from custody in Nairobi. The latest twist to the grisly story has infuriated many Kenyans, with the country appalled over the discovery of the butchered women. It has also thrown a spotlight on police, as the bodies were found just 100 metres (yards) from a police station.
Kenya’s police watchdog, the Independent Police Oversight Authority, has said it was looking into whether there was any police involvement or a “failure to act to prevent” the killings. Kenyan police are often accused by rights groups of carrying out unlawful killings or running hit squads, but few have faced justice.
The Kenyan government has promised to take stern action against those responsible for the escape and the ongoing investigations. The country is bracing for more revelations in this case, which has sent shockwaves across the nation.
