Families struggle with grief as abductions and murders surge

On October 21, 2024, three women from the same family — Dahabo Daud Said, 38, Amina Abdirashid Dahir, 22, and her cousin Nusayba Abdi Mohammed, 13—went missing in Eastleigh, Nairobi, only later to be found murdered.

Their bodies were discovered the following day, each showing signs of brutal violence, including stab wounds.

Amina and Nusayba were found in Bahati and Sixth Avenue Parklands, while Dahabo’s body, showing horrific mutilation with severed hands, was located in Khyumbi, Machakos county.

The gruesome nature of the murders sent shockwaves through the community, prompting urgent calls for justice from civil society groups, the business community and politicians.

A postmortem examination revealed the extent of the violence inflicted on the victims when Chief Government Pathologist Johansen Oduor confirmed Dahabo suffered a severed neck and signs of torture. At the same time, Amina succumbed to a stab wound to the heart. Nusayba’s tragic death was attributed to smothering, and there were indications of rape.

Three women

“The stab wound went to the heart. We believe she died from stabbing,” Oduor said. He added that Nusayba died from smothering and that there were indications of rape. “We have taken samples from all the victims for analysis,” Oduor confirmed.

A survivor revealed that she had been abducted alongside three women and overheard the attackers discussing the potential consequences of being recognised.

Her family had raised the ransom, which was transferred to an Ethiopian bank account as part of the negotiation for her release. This indicates that the suspects were not afraid to leave behind a trail of evidence for police to follow.

According to police investigations, they recovered a vehicle used in the abduction abandoned near Wakulima Market in Kamukunji.

The driver of the vehicle was traced to Ijara, near the Kenya-Somalia border, raising concerns about the possible involvement of organised crime.

The victims’ mobile phones were tracked, revealing their movements on the night of the abduction in Eastleigh before they were switched off near Pangani, a tactic often employed by criminals to evade detection.

The survivor’s account indicated that the assailants initially demanded a ransom but resorted to violence when their identities were revealed. “The murders are linked to ransom demands. The killers were holding the women for ransom, but when they recognised one or two suspects, it angered the assailants,” an officer involved in the investigation explained.

The tricks

The case of Dahabo, Amina, and Nusayba is not an isolated incident in a country grappling with rising crime rates and a growing sense of insecurity, where it is becoming increasingly common to find bodies in quarries, forests, rivers, hills, dams, mortuaries, and other deserted places — a clear sign that most of the killers understand the tricks of covering their footprints.

In another chilling case, a Mombasa-based taxi driver, Victoria Mumbua, vanished after accepting a ride request from Mombasa to Samburu on September 25, 2024. Her vehicle was later found 645 km away in Nakuru, leading to an urgent investigation. The police only responded after a taxi driver, Joseph Mburu, recognised the vehicle from a missing report in a local taxi WhatsApp group.

“I was carrying a customer and noticed that the car was similar to one that had been reported missing,” Mburu recounted. “I asked the customer to help me check the number plates. After confirming, I pursued the vehicle and updated the police on its location as it took evasive actions to avoid detection.”

Ultimately, police apprehended Edwin Ngetich Kipkemoi, who was found driving Mumbua’s vehicle.

Despite his arrest, Mumbua’s whereabouts remained a mystery until her body was identified at the Nairobi Funeral Home days later, confirming the tragic outcome of her abduction. During questioning, Ngetich confessed to having dumped Mumbua’s body in a thicket along a road in Lari, Kiambu county. 

An autopsy on Mumbua’s body revealed that she had been struck multiple times with a blunt object before being strangled. Government pathologist Oduor, who conducted the postmortem, noted that signs of struggle indicated she had fought back fiercely against her assailant.

Months later in Kisumu, police are supposed to unravel another shocking murder. Willis Onyango Ayieko, a human resource manager at Wells Fargo, was reported missing after travelling from Nairobi to his rural home in Siaya to attend a close friend’s mother’s burial. His last known whereabouts were at a night vigil, and hours after attending, he was found dead in Mungowere stream in Siaya county.

Barbaric act

Aggrey Oduor, Aiyeko’s elder brother, described the horrifying state of his brother’s body when it was discovered — mutilated, with his breasts, mouth, nose, and ears cut off and his eyes gouged out. Yet another barbaric act raised questions about the escalating violence and the safety of individuals in society.

The body, discovered on October 23, was transported to Nairobi for preservation while investigations continue.

“Willis was a gentleman par excellence; he was apolitical, generally sociable, and a loving person who valued human relations,” Edwin Ng’ong’a, Ayieko’s nephew, told The Standard. 

As the wave of murders rock the nation, public mortuaries in Thika and Nairobi want to dispose 201 unclaimed bodies dropped off by police in the last one year.

“The Nairobi Funeral Home has surpassed its capacity, and it is now imperative for the public to identify their deceased relatives to free up space. The Nairobi City County is also seeking court approval to dispose of the unclaimed bodies,” a statement from Nairobi county read.   

Retired Chief Justice David Maraga, who chaired a taskforce on reforms of the police and prisons services stated in his report that the merger of the Administration Police (AP) and the Kenya Police Service (KPS)had led to significant failures in maintaining public safety and order.

The merger, report says, part of police reforms initiative, was intended to streamline operations but instead resulted in confusion and a decline in community-based policing, historically a strength of the Administration Police Service.

“The absorption of a large fraction of the AP officers into the KPS and the reduction of their mandate at the county level have undermined the preventive policing efforts that the community has relied upon,” Maraga noted.

Civil society and security stakeholders has warned that the reorganisation of security agencies under one command has failed Kenyans, and they want more agencies created to operate independently.

“If we had several independent units, they would be able to disrupt criminal activities executed by powerful individuals,” an officer stated.

Peter Kiama, director of Haki Yetu, a human rights organisation criticised the current state of the police service, claiming that the command structure has collapsed.

He emphasised that the police service has strayed from its primary objective of public safety, becoming embroiled in political machinations. 

“The return of a police state has made them more focused on serving the interests of the political elite rather than protecting citizens,” Kiama said.

Systemic failures

Further, Kiama claimed an alarming trend of increasing involvement of police officers and prison warders in criminal activities, pointing to systemic failures in police command and governance.

The Maraga taskforce report indicates that political meddling had compromised the independence and effectiveness of the National Police Service.

“A significant percentage of slots in any recruitment process are allocated to the political elite, leaving only a few for merit selection,” the report reveals, underscoring the impact of nepotism on the integrity of the police force.

Maraga recommendations include fresh vetting for police officers and addressing the pervasive issues of corruption, incompetence, and inadequate leadership that have plagued the service.

“A significant percentage of slots in any recruitment process are allocated to the political elite, leaving only a few for merit selection,” the report states.

Those joining through political influence maintain their positions by staying loyal, while merit-selected individuals often grant favours to police bosses.

“Ethnic diversity is a key issue, with data showing eight communities representing 81.05 per cent of police officers,” the report states.

The task force calls for fresh vetting for police officers, noting that conditions worsened after the Security Laws (Miscellaneous Amendment) Act of 2014 was passed, eliminating provisions for open recruitment of the Inspector General and Deputy Inspectors General.

The Maraga report details how the amended law undermined police reforms, leaving the police led by incompetent individuals micromanaged by Cabinet Secretaries.

“The task force notes that ethnic diversity is a key issue, with NCIC data showing eight communities representing 81.05% of police officers,” the report states, acknowledging cycles of exploitation that render the NPS a cesspool for abuse, despite solid recruitment procedures outlined in the Constitution. 

Recruitment aims for geographical and ethnic diversity, but officer distribution remains skewed, reflecting historical injustices. The task force deemed the National Police Service (NPS) corrupt and incompetent, urging legislative reforms and new vetting to address challenges like underfunding and poor leadership in the NPS, National Youth Service, and Kenya Prisons Service.

Corruption undermines professionalism, making these services nearly dysfunctional, with “senior leadership disconnected from junior officers.” Corrupt traffic officers facilitate drug trafficking through bribes, while technological limitations hinder vehicle and driver verification. A parallel command structure in the Traffic Police Unit allows bribery among senior NPS leadership. 

The under-equipped Marine Police Unit struggles to manage coastal and inland waters. Maraga stated that failed reform attempts have left the NPS as the country’s most corrupt institution, fostering impunity. Additionally, a lack of support systems for officers facing retirement or duty-related fatalities creates medical challenges for veterans. 

The task force attributed police dysfunction to the poorly executed 2018 merger of the police service and security laws amendments under former President Kenyatta and CS Matiangi, which left Administration Police officers feeling subordinate and contributed to rising crime. The task force calls for a negotiated exit for the current National Police Service Commission leadership, whose actions have undermined the NPS’s effectiveness.