Kenyan authorities are in a race against time after Collins Jumaisi, a man accused of murdering and dismembering 42 women, escaped from a Nairobi police cell along with 12 other detainees. The 33-year-old, described by police as a “vampire” and a “psychopath,” was arrested last month following the gruesome discovery of mutilated bodies in a garbage dump within a Nairobi slum.
The shocking escape was discovered early Tuesday morning when officers at the Gigiri police station, located in an upscale area of Nairobi, went to serve breakfast to the detainees. It was then that they realized 13 prisoners had escaped by cutting through the wire mesh in the cell’s basking bay, an area where inmates are allowed to get fresh air.
Among the escapees were 12 individuals of Eritrean origin, who had been detained for being illegally present in the country. The escape has prompted a major security operation, with police launching a widespread manhunt to recapture the fugitives.
Jumaisi’s escape is particularly alarming given his recent confession to murdering 42 women over a span of two years, beginning in 2022. His arrest in July came after ten butchered female bodies were discovered in plastic bags at a dumpsite in Nairobi’s Mukuru slum, a find that horrified the nation.
The grisly discovery also reignited concerns about Kenya’s police force, as the bodies were found just 100 meters from a police station. The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) announced that it was investigating the case to rule out the possibility of extrajudicial killings. Kenya’s police watchdog, the Independent Police Oversight Authority, is also looking into whether there was any police involvement or negligence in preventing the killings.
This is the second high-profile escape from custody in just six months. In February, Kenyan national Kevin Kangethe, accused of murdering his girlfriend in the United States, escaped from a police station before being recaptured a week later. These incidents have placed the Kenyan police under increased scrutiny, with rights groups frequently accusing the force of unlawful killings and operating hit squads, though few officers have been held accountable.
As the manhunt for Jumaisi and the other escapees continues, the incident raises serious questions about the security and oversight within Kenya’s detention facilities, especially when dealing with individuals accused of such heinous crimes.
