Mass prison escape: Man confesses to murder of 42 women

Thirteen prisoners escaped from a police station in Nairobi, including a man who police said confessed to the murder of 42 women and was being held for the discovery of dismembered bodies, Kenyan authorities said on Tuesday.

Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, 33, escaped from the police station where he was being held along with 12 other detainees, all Eritrean nationals, who had been arrested for entering the country illegally.

Khalusha was arrested in July after authorities discovered 10 bodies and various body parts wrapped in plastic bags in the Kware district of Nairobi.

Mohamed Amin, the head of the criminal investigation department, announced the outbreak.

He said disciplinary action had been taken against eight police officers, including area and station commanders and those on duty at the time of the outbreak.

“Our preliminary investigation suggests that the escape was facilitated by insiders as officials were duly tasked with securing the station,” Amin said.

According to a police report, the inmates managed to escape early Tuesday morning by cutting through the chain-link fence of their cell and climbing over the outer wall.

The outbreak was only discovered when breakfast was brought into the cell.

Khalusha was detained at the station after a court granted detectives an additional seven days to investigate his alleged crimes.

He reportedly confessed to killing 42 women, including his own wife.

“This was a high-level suspect who faces serious charges. We are investigating the incident and will take appropriate action,” Amin added.

However, Khalusha's lawyer, John Maina Ndegwa, denied the confession, claiming that his client was forced to confess through torture and insisting on Khalusha's innocence.

Ndegwa expressed shock at the escape and said he last spoke to Khalusha on Friday when he was produced in court.

“I'm also confused by the news,” he told reporters.

After the escape, the police station was cordoned off with crime scene tape and senior police officers visited the crime scene on Tuesday afternoon.

Two other suspects who were arrested after mobile phones belonging to some of the deceased women were found on them will have to appear in court again next Monday.

The discovery of the bodies in July shocked the nation.

The remains were found after relatives of a missing woman claimed they had a dream in which she led them to a quarry to search.

A local diver searched the area and found the bodies wrapped in bags.

Six of the victims have been identified through DNA testing, but several body parts remain unidentified.