Kenya's Police Intensify Hunt for Suspected Serial Killer with New Incentives

Fri Oct 10 2025 15:15:36 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

Amid growing public outrage over the escape of suspected serial killer Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, Kenyan authorities have offered a significant reward for information leading to his capture, reigniting discussions about police accountability and public safety.

Kenyan authorities are facing intense scrutiny after the escape of suspected serial killer Collins Jumaisi Khalusha over a year ago. Khalusha, implicated in the murders of over 40 women, escaped from a police station in what was considered a secure facility. In response to public outcry, authorities have announced a reward of 1 million shillings for any information leading to his arrest. Activists criticize this measure as a superficial response to deeper systemic issues within the police force's handling of the case.

Kenyan police have offered a reward of 1 million shillings ($7,700; £5,700) for information leading to the arrest of suspected serial killer Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, more than a year after he escaped from their custody.

Khalusha was the prime suspect in the murder of more than 40 women whose mutilated bodies were discovered in a disused quarry that became a dumpsite in the capital, Nairobi.

Shortly after his arrest, he escaped from custody, along with 12 others, after reportedly cutting through a wire mesh roof and scaling a perimeter wall.

This escape caused outrage, and police are facing a renewed backlash over their failure to hunt down Khalusha more than a year later.

Many Kenyans have questioned how he could have escaped on 20 August 2024 from what is regarded as one of the most secure police stations, located near the US embassy and the UN offices in the capital.

Khalid Hussein, an activist who has been following the case closely, told the BBC that the police were not serious about solving the murders of the women they previously identified as being aged between 18 and 30.

He alleged that some bodies were still inside the quarry pits, and rotting.

Mr. Hussein believes the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) announced the reward in response to a documentary by the local Citizen TV station about the police's inaction.

According to the DCI, the 1 million shillings reward would be given to anyone who provides credible information that will assist in the re-arrest of the suspect.

Several policemen were arrested last year for allegedly aiding Khalusha's escape, but they were later released on bail.

Despite Khalusha reportedly confessing to his crimes, his lawyer later stated that he had been tortured.

During the time of Khalusha's arrest, DCI chief Mohamed Amin had declared: It is crystallising that we are dealing with a serial killer, a psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life, who has no respect and dignity.