Police: Kenyan serial killer suspect 'confesses' to murdering 42 women

Kenyan police say the main suspect arrested in connection with the discovery of a woman's mutilated body in a garbage dump in Nairobi has confessed to killing 42 women. "The suspect confessed to luring the bodies of 42 women, killing them and dumping them in the garbage dump," Criminal Investigations Director General Mohamed Amin told reporters on Monday.

"We are dealing with a serial killer, a psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life," Amin said after announcing the arrests. He also said a second suspect, who was in possession of the victim's mobile phone, had also been arrested. Deputy Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said the 33-year-old main suspect was arrested near a bar at about 3 a.m. local time (12 p.m. GMT) in a joint operation between the Criminal Investigations Directorate and the national police. He said a total of nine bodies have been recovered so far and autopsies on the victims will be conducted on Monday.

Videos posted on social media also showed police presenting some evidence allegedly linking them to the murder suspects. Since Friday, mutilated and dismembered bodies tied in plastic bags have been found in piles of rubbish in Mukur slum, south of the capital, sending the country into a fright. Police said on Sunday that all nine bodies recovered were women. The situation at the scene became highly tense over the weekend as angry residents were dispersed by police using tear gas.

The findings have also drawn new attention to Kenya's police and increased pressure on President William Ruto to contain the crisis sparked by widespread anti-government protests that have left dozens of demonstrators dead. The protests were sparked by government tax hikes at a time when the public has been suffering from a cost-of-living crisis.