Lobby Calls For Release Of Findings On Mukuru Kwa Njenga Quarry Killings

Human rights groups are urging Kenyan authorities to conclude and publicly release the findings of their investigation into the discovery of mutilated bodies at Mukuru Kwa Njenga quarry in July 2024.

Human Rights Watch and the Mukuru Community Social Justice Centre have called for a thorough inquiry, including allegations that police intimidated activists and residents involved in retrieving the bodies.

Volunteers claim that police threatened them and forcibly halted body retrieval efforts. Eight months later, no official findings have been released, raising fears of a possible cover-up.

“Rather than obstruct the retrieval of bodies, Kenyan police should conduct a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the dumping of bodies at the quarry,” said Otsieno Namwaya, Associate Africa Director at Human Rights Watch. He also urged the Independent Policing Oversight Authority to investigate allegations of police threats against volunteers and ensure that those responsible are prosecuted.

Human Rights Watch and the Mukuru Community Social Justice Centre interviewed 21 individuals, including relatives of victims, activists, a police officer, and Mukuru Kwa Njenga residents. Researchers also reviewed autopsy reports of 17 bodies and analyzed satellite images of the quarry.

Residents say that since July 12, when the first six bodies were found in the abandoned water-filled quarry, security forces, including officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the General Service Unit (GSU), and regular police, made concerted efforts to block further retrievals. Volunteers were allegedly warned to stop or risk being falsely charged with murder.

Three days after police halted retrieval efforts, the quarry was set on fire by unidentified individuals, whom witnesses suspect were police officers attempting to destroy evidence. Multiple witnesses reported seeing uniformed officers visiting the quarry nightly up to two days before the fire broke out.

Eyewitnesses also reported violent confrontations, where police fired tear gas and live bullets at residents, injuring several. The bodies were discovered just weeks after nationwide protests against proposed tax hikes, during which police cracked down on demonstrators. Many families still do not know the whereabouts of their missing relatives.

Activists claim that even after police stopped them, gunny bags containing body parts remained in the quarry. Some volunteers who retrieved bodies say they now fear for their lives due to being followed by unknown individuals believed to be police officers.

One volunteer described surviving two attempted abductions—first on July 19, when 12 armed officers from the GSU and DCI allegedly tried to take him, and again on November 20, when plainclothes officers, accompanied by uniformed police, attempted to abduct him in an unmarked vehicle.

“If the public had not intervened, I would not be alive today,” he said. “The police abductors warned me that I would never return to retrieve bodies. If I ever get arrested again, I might never come out alive.”

Between July 12 and 18, volunteers recovered at least 30 gunny bags filled with body parts. Many were stuffed in identical bags, tied with plastic bands, and mixed with garbage—suggesting an attempt to disguise the remains.

On July 15, police arrested Collins Jomaisi Khalisia, who allegedly confessed to killing 42 women, including his wife, and dumping their bodies at the quarry. However, on July 20, authorities announced his escape from Gigiri Police Station. Since then, no prosecutions have been made concerning either the killings or the escape.

A preliminary autopsy revealed that the bodies were severely mutilated, with many severed at the waist or abdomen. Pathologists could only examine parts of 17 bodies, with the rest unaccounted for. Ten were identified as female, while the gender of seven remained undetermined. At least four victims died from blunt force trauma, one from strangulation, while the cause of death for 12 remains unclear.

Rights groups and community leaders are demanding that authorities expedite efforts to recover and identify any remaining bodies. Volunteers claim that even after the fire, body parts were still found at the site.

So far, relatives of six victims—all Nairobi residents—have identified and buried their remains. Among them is Josephine Mulongo Owino, a Kware resident who went missing on June 26, a day after protests stormed Parliament. Others include Roseline Akoth from Pipeline, missing since June 28; Rosemary Achieng Otieno, last seen on June 23 in Babadogo; and Wilkister Night Ososo from Mukuru Kwa Reuben, missing since June 19.

David Anami, head of the Mukuru Community Social Justice Centre, has urged President William Ruto to protect volunteers from harassment and abduction.

“The President must ensure that those who stepped in to retrieve bodies when police failed to act are not threatened or harmed. Authorities should focus their efforts on delivering justice for the victims,” Anami said.