An alleged serial killer has escaped from police custody in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. Police said Collins Jumaisi Khalusha confessed to murdering and mutilating 42 women but escaped from jail along with twelve other inmates. Acting police inspector general Gilbert Masengeli said disciplinary action was underway against eight prison guards and confirmed that the escape was “aided by insiders.”
The inmates fled the prison after cutting through wire mesh in their cells and scaling the outer walls. Their absence was not discovered until breakfast the following morning. The 33-year-old suspected killer was still under investigation and held on remand for seven days to allow officers to continue questioning him about the killings.
Police arrested Khalusha in July after body parts were found at various points throughout the city. Officers described him as a “vampire” and a “psychopath” who admitted to the murders, including that of his wife. His attorney, John Maina Ndegwa, insisted his client was innocent and the confession resulted from police torture.
The escape is the second in Kenya this year and follows a similar incident involving Kevin Kangethe, who was jailed on suspicion of murdering his girlfriend in the United States. Officers from Kajiado County on the outskirts of Nairobi re-arrested Kangethe in February, a week after escaping from custody. He was detained while awaiting extradition to Massachusetts to face murder charges. His girlfriend’s body was found in the trunk of a car at Logan International Airport in Boston soon after he departed the US for Kenya.
Margaret “Maggie” Mbitu was reported missing by her family days earlier and told police she was last seen leaving her workplace in Halifax. The 31-year-old worked as a nurse and was specialized in helping people with developmental disabilities. When her body was found, FBI special agent Jennifer Coffindaffer told reporters that American authorities would work closely with their Kenyan counterparts to bring her killer to justice.
When Kangethe escaped from police custody, corruption was also implicated. Four police officers were arrested, as well as some of the alleged killer’s family members and his attorney, who all faced accusations of helping him flee from police custody.
