Macabre discoveries in Nairobi: Possible links to cults, serial crimes

Police have been searching Mukuru since Friday when the mutilated bodies of at least six women were found. Kenyan police reported that more bags filled with dismembered parts of women's bodies were found at a landfill on Saturday. This information has shocked and enraged the entire country.

Detectives have been searching the area in the Mukuru slums in Nairobi since Friday when the mutilated bodies of at least six women were found in bags floating in a sea of garbage.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reported on Saturday that another five bags were extracted from an abandoned quarry, three of which contained parts of women's bodies, including severed legs and two torsos. "We want to assure the public that our investigation will be thorough and cover a wide range of areas, including possible cult activities and serial murders," the statement said.

Last year, Kenya was shaken by the discovery of mass graves in a forest near the Indian Ocean coast, where bodies of hundreds of followers of one of the cults were found. The discovery was then called one of the world's worst massacres related to cults.

Kenyan law enforcement is also under scrutiny after dozens of people died during anti-government demonstrations last month, and human rights groups accuse officers of using excessive force and abducting protesters.

On Friday, police reported finding human bodies in Mukuru. There are said to be nine of them, seven of which are women. Local media reported that officers fired into the air to disperse the enraged crowd.

The Independent Policing Oversight Authority of Kenya reported on Friday that it is investigating whether the police were involved in this horrifying case. "The bodies, wrapped in bags and secured with nylon ropes, had visible signs of torture and mutilation," it was reported, noting that the landfill is located less than 100 metres from the police station.

Officers are also investigating reports of abductions of protesters who went missing after the deadly anti-government protests. So far, these missing persons have not been linked to the bodies found at the landfill.

President William Ruto of Kenya said on Saturday that there is "no justification" for the loss of life of any Kenyan. "We are a democratic country governed by the rule of law. Those involved in the mysterious killings in Nairobi and other parts of the country will be held accountable," he said on platform X.

Kenyan police are often accused of extrajudicial executions and other human rights abuses, but convictions are rare.

A coalition of civil society and human rights groups reported that the discoveries in Mukuru took place in the context of a "disturbing rise" in cases of mysterious disappearances and abductions, especially after anti-tax protests. "This constitutes a serious violation of human rights and raises serious concerns about the rule of law and security in our country," the coalition said.

The national police chief, Japhet Koome, resigned on Friday after becoming the target of public anger over deaths during the protests. President Ruto is attempting to manage the worst crisis of his administration related to extremely unpopular tax hike plans, which he has now withdrawn.

Crowds gathered at the landfill on Friday chanted, "Ruto must go," a rallying cry of Kenyan Gen Z leading the protests, which have turned into a broader campaign against the president, corruption, and alleged police brutality.

On Monday, Doomsday cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie appeared in court with 94 co-defendants concerning the deaths of more than 400 followers, whom he allegedly persuaded to starve themselves to death to meet Jesus.

He and his co-defendants are also accused of murder, manslaughter, and child cruelty in separate cases related to the so-called "Shakahola forest massacre".