Murkomen: DNA tests identify 5 victims of Mukuru Kwa Njenga massacre

The Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) Kipchumba Murkomen has announced that five of the 17 bodies recovered in the Kware area in the Mukuru Kwa Njenga slums in Nairobi in 2024 have been positively identified and handed over to their families.

Speaking when he appeared before the Senate on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, Murkomen revealed that the five victims include Josephine Mulango Owino, Roseline Moth Ongongo, Wilkister Ojambo Ososo, Christine Mwende Mathina, and Rosemary Ojambo.

Further, he stated that most of the bodies which had dismembered parts were in an advanced state of decomposition and were preserved at the City Mortuary, where post-mortem examinations were carried out.

“Subsequent DNA analysis led to positive identification of 5 of the victims who were matched with their respective family members,” he stated.

Additionally, he stated that through forensic investigations, Collins Jumaisi Khalusa was identified as the prime suspect in the killings. 

“The suspect was arraigned at the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Makadara under criminal miscellaneous applications number e861/2024 and detained for 30 days pending investigation. He was remanded at Gigiri police station,” he said.

However, on August 20, 2024, Khalusa escaped from custody, prompting the issuance of an arrest warrant that remains active. 

He revealed that the Internal Affairs Unit has since launched an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding the escape, while multi-agency teams continue an intensive manhunt for the suspect.

The CS also called upon members of the public to share any relevant information regarding the suspect and share it with the DCI through the Fichua DCI number.

Ruto’s take

Speaking on July 13, 2024, amid the discovery of the bodies at the dumpsite, President William Ruto directed the relevant authorities to expedite investigations into bodies wrapped in polythene bags.

Similarly, Ruto assured the public that those involved in the act would be arrested and charged. 

“Those who are charged with making sure there are comprehensive investigations on matters we have witnessed in Kware, where many Kenyans, including young girls, have lost their lives, that process must be expedited and the truth found so that who are involved in the heinous act must be punished and the law applied in its full extent.”