Police in Kenya have arrested a man carrying a mutilated body in his backpack, which was said to belong to his 19-year-old wife.
Officers came across 29-year-old John Kiama Wambua while on patrol in Nairobi's eastern Huruma area, just before dawn.
A statement from the Kenya Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) said that suspecting that Wambua was carrying something illegal, they searched his backpack and “to their shock” found body parts.
And this is by no means an isolated case – Kenya has one of the highest rates of femicide, or sexually motivated murders, in Africa.
After police officers questioned Mr. Wambua, he told them that the body parts belonged to his wife, Joy Freda Munani, according to a Defense for Children International statement.
She added that he appeared “unfazed” by the officers' discovery.
After questioning, Mr. Wambua led officers to his home, where they discovered a knife, blood-stained clothing and more body parts under the bed.
Defense for Children International described the act as “heinous,” adding that the suspect will be formally charged with murder during the next court session.
The Kenya National Police Service said that from August to October last year, at least 97 women were killed.
In December, hundreds of women took to the streets of the capital, Nairobi, to protest a recent wave of femicides. The police were reportedly met with tear gas.
Kenya has seen several high-profile murders of women. In September 2024, Olympic runner Rebecca Cheptegei She was murdered by her ex-partner.
The 33-year-old died days after she was doused with gasoline and set on fire in her home in western Kenya.
In July, police arrested Collins Gemaysi Khalousha, whom they described as a “serial killer,” after the mutilated bodies of nine women were found in an abandoned quarry.
Mr. Khalusha escaped from custody a month later It appears he is still on the run.
Earlier that year, in a case that sparked widespread outrage, A young woman named Rita Winnie was brutally murdered In an apartment for short term rent. Police said she was cut up and placed in a plastic bag.
