At least eight cops have been detained by Kenyan authorities following the escape of 13 inmates, including an alleged serial killer, from a Nairobi police station.
According to UK Guardian, the acting inspector general of police disclosed this in a statement.
The arrested officers, including the station’s head, were on duty when the escape occurred, according to Gilbert Masengeli.
“Our preliminary investigation indicates that the escape was facilitated by insiders,” Masengeli stated during a press briefing at the Gigiri police station, where the escape took place. “Any person found culpable will face the full force of law.”
Among the escapees was Collins Khalusha, a 33-year-old suspected serial killer arrested in July.
Khalusha allegedly confessed to murdering 42 women over two years and disposing of their dismembered bodies in an abandoned quarry in Embakasi South, Nairobi. At least ten sacks containing human remains were retrieved from the site.
“We are dealing with a vampire, a psychopath,” Mohamed Amin, the head of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, remarked at the time of Khalusha’s arrest.
However, Khalusha’s lawyer, John Ndegwa, claimed that his client had been coerced into confessing under torture.
The escape was discovered around 5 a.m. on Tuesday when the officer in charge and the station’s canteen manager went to deliver breakfast to the prisoners, according to a police report.
Khalusha and the other detainees, including Eritreans held for alleged immigration violations, reportedly escaped by cutting through a security wire mesh at a “basking bay”—a designated area where detainees can get fresh air—and scaling the perimeter wall.
Khalusha had recently appeared in court, where a magistrate ordered an additional 30 days of detention for further investigation.
His escape has drawn renewed scrutiny to the Kenyan police, which faces long-standing allegations of extrajudicial killings.
The quarry, located just 100 meters from a police station, had recently gained attention amid anti-government protests that began in June, during which several Kenyans were reported missing.
The escapes come six months after Kevin Kangethe, a Kenyan wanted in the U.S. for murder, escaped from another Nairobi police station after being allowed to meet with his lawyer. He was recaptured a few days later.
Masengeli confirmed that a manhunt is underway to recapture the 13 missing prisoners.
