In a shocking discovery, the dismembered remains of several women were found inside five bags at a garbage dump in Kenya's capital Nairobi on Saturday. The gruesome find, which included severed legs and two torsos, has led to speculation that the deaths could be linked to cultist activities or serial killings. The country's police watchdog is now investigating possible police involvement in those deaths, amid allegations of widespread human rights violations by officers during recent anti-government protests.
The sad discovery was made in the Mukuru neighborhood where detectives have been investigating since Friday. This follows the discovery of six other women's bodies in sacks in the middle of a sea of rubbish. The landfill's proximity to a local police station, less than 100 meters away, has raised eyebrows and suspicions. The bodies, wrapped in bags and secured with nylon ropes, showed visible signs of torture and mutilation.
Rights groups have accused police of shooting dozens of people protesting the planned tax hike, some fatally, and abducting or arbitrarily detaining hundreds more. In response to these allegations, the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) has launched a preliminary investigation to establish any police connection.
Faced with growing public anger, police deployed two water cannons at the scene on Saturday after protesters threatened to open bags full of human remains. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has urged the public to remain calm and give them space to carry out their investigations.
Kenya's police force has often been accused of extrajudicial killings by human rights activists, and convictions are extremely rare. Both Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have previously accused the force of “political interference in efforts to achieve accountability for police abuses”.
President William Ruto has promised that those responsible for the killings will be held accountable, saying: “We are a democratic country guided by the rule of law. Those involved in mysterious killings in Nairobi and anywhere else in the country will be held accountable.”
This case is the latest in a series of disturbing incidents in Kenya. Last year, the remains of hundreds of people associated with a doomsday cult were discovered in the Indian Ocean coastal city of Malindi. Cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie is currently on trial in Mombasa on charges of terrorism and murder for the deaths of over 440 of his followers. He denies the allegations.