Serial killer befriended children, then killed them

Zadock Angira and Kenna Claude

Police have arrested a man believed to have abducted and killed at least 12 minors in cold blood in Nairobi in recent weeks.

The suspect, Masten Milimu Wanjala, 20, a former remandee at the Kabete Approved School, yesterday confessed to the killings and gave chilling details of how he abducted two of his latest victims before executing them in cold blood, and even led detectives to the scene where the decomposing bodies were found.

The bodies of Charles Opindo Bala, 13, and Junior Mutuku Musyoki, 12, who disappeared on June 30 and July 7, 2021, respectively, were on Tuesday found dumped in a thicket near Kabete Approved School.

Yesterday, Wanjala led detectives to another thicket near the same institution, where they discovered a third body.

The naked body of a male child was found in a manhole. Dressed in a sky blue T-shirt, navy blue pair of khaki trousers and black plastic sandals, Wanjala remained composed as he guided police to the spots where he had dumped bodies of his victims.

“Niliuwa mtoto wa kwanza huko kwetu nyumbani halafu wakanipea  dawa, hiyo ndio inanifanya niuwe (I killed the first child back in the village and then I was forced to take some concoction, that is what drives me to kill),” he muttered when asked about the motive behind his heinous acts.

On why he killed two of his latest victims, Wanjala responded; “niliwaitisha pesa lakini hawakutuma, nikaamua kuwauwa (I asked for ransom but they (parents) did not respond, so I decided to kill them).” 

Former remandee

From Kabete, the suspect led detectives to two other spots, the first one at the Pumwani bridge, and the second in Machakos town where he had dumped the bodies of more victims. 

“Wanjala, who is believed to have killed more than 10 minors, led detectives to the spot where he committed the beastly act and disposed of the bodies in Kabete,” the DCI said.

 “Detectives are currently interrogating the criminal, to establish the whereabouts of the other children he is believed to have kidnapped and executed.” 

Sources within the team investigating the shocking revelations said Wanjala, a resident of Kitengela, Kajiado county, had once been remanded at Kabete Approved School for truancy, hence his thorough knowledge of the area where the three bodies were recovered.

According to the sources, the suspect would frequently commute from Kitengela to California estate in Eastleigh area to play football with boys from the neighbourhood.

“That is how he befriended some of his victims and won their trust, before he started luring them to their deaths,” added the source.

The rare absolute capitulation, and reports that the suspect had abducted several children, sent shockwaves among parents in the city that has witnessed a surge in cases of kidnappings targeting young ones.

Wanjala was arrested on Sunday when he contacted Musyoki’s mother, Felista Wayua, demanding a Sh50,000 ransom for her son’s freedom.

Wayua alerted the police who tracked the signal to Wanjala’s hideout in Kitengela where they arrested him.

On being searched, police recovered Sh4,700 from the suspect. It emerged that Wanjala had also contacted Opindo’s father, Tony Opindo, and demanded a Sh30,000 ransom.

According to Opindo, his son had gone to Sagaret Primary School in Nairobi’s Majengo estate on the material day but never returned home.

The DCI said more details would be released today as investigations continue, and asked the public to volunteer any information about missing children.

Yesterday, detectives from DCI headquarters visited the scenes where the bodies were discovered and conducted forensic analysis.

DCI boss George Kinoti said they were yet to establish the exact motive of the killings but said they believed the suspect may have been colluding with other people.

Wanjala is being held at Shauri Moyo police station as investigations continue.

Cases of kidnapping of children and adults have been on the rise but police say they are on top of the situation.

In some incidents, victims have been killed while others were rescued by police.

According to Missing Child Kenya, 73 children initially missing are now in government homes for safe care and custody, 496 others are already found and reunited with families while 190 minors are unaccounted for.

Media platforms

Missing Child Kenya is a community led portal that works with organisations and individuals in the child protection sector and the public to help share information on missing children using various media platforms and increase search efforts at no cost to the affected families.

According to the National Crime and Research Centre (NCRC), Kenya is ranked 17 out of 19 on the list of nations where child kidnappings are rampant.

In one of the cases in Zimmerman, Nairobi, a family has been living in agony for more than a month after their son, Abraham Nhial, 14, disappeared without trace on June 5.

The boy had gone to a barber shop for a haircut during the recent school midterm break, according to his father Daniel Mawut. The family said they had not received any calls for ransom.

Another boy, Franklin Gicheru, 3, went missing on June 22 after having breakfast.

The parents, James Mwangi and Loise Mwangi, said they were notified by a neighbour that their son was seen walking away with an unknown woman.