Kenya: Five police officers tried for the escape of a suspected serial killer

Five police officers appeared in court in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Wednesday after being taken into custody the previous day on suspicion of facilitating the escape of a suspected serial killer who is still on the run.

Collins Jumaisi, 33, accused of murdering dozens of women, escaped from a police station overnight Monday to Tuesday with 12 other people, Eritreans in an irregular situation. Arrested on July 15 after the discovery of bodies wrapped in bags in a dump in the Mukuru slum, south of Nairobi, Jumaisi allegedly confessed to killing 42 women between 2022 and July 2024, according to authorities who describe him as “psychopathic serial killer” and of “vampire”.

The court’s decision on the continued detention of the five police officers, four men and one woman, will be made on Thursday. The officers were on duty at the time of the escape. Three other people were also taken into custody on Tuesday, but no further information was given on their possible appearance.

The prosecutor also said other accomplices are likely on the run. Acting police chief Gilbert Masengeli said on Tuesday that the escape appeared to have been facilitated by insiders, given the number of officers assigned to guard the station.

As a reminder, the escape was discovered Tuesday morning during a morning round for breakfast. The prisoners escaped by cutting through a metal fence in a courtyard.