A Kenyan man has reportedly admitted to killing at least 12 children in what the police suspect were black magic rituals.
He said he would target boys that he spotted playing football, and then join in the games in order to get talking to them before kidnapping and killing them.
The bodies of two boys were recovered in a thicket near the Kabete Approved School in Kabete just outside the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Tuesday.
The suspect has been identified as Masten Milimu Wanjala, 20, who was once remanded at the Kabete Approved School for truancy and knew the area well, including the places where the kids would gather to play football.
According to local media, the suspect confessed to killing at least 12 children and even led officers to some of the decomposing bodies.
The remains of Charles Opindo Bala, 13, who disappeared on 30th June, and Junior Mutuku Musyoki, 12, who went missing on 7th July, were found in a thicket near Kabete Approved School on Tuesday.
The following day, the suspect led officers to a manhole in the school area where the naked body of a third boy was discovered.
The suspected killer, who the police believe may have been colluding with others, remained calm when leading cops to the bodies, according to local media.
When asked about the motive for the alleged killings, Wanjala is quoted as muttering under his breath: “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.”
The suspect’s mention of a “concoction” and being “driven to kill” means the police will not rule out the possibility of witchcraft and the involvement of others.
When asked why he killed his latest two victims, he replied: “I asked for ransom but they (parents) did not respond so I decided to kill them.”
He then led officers to two other spots where there were two victims, one at Pumwani Bridge and the other in the town of Machakos where he also claimed to have dumped other victims, according to the police.
A police spokesperson said: “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 police also stated that he had confessed to killing at least 12 victims.
The spokesperson continued: “Detectives are currently interrogating the criminal, to establish the whereabouts of the other children he is believed to have kidnapped and executed.”
Wanjala is suspected of commuting from his hideout in Kitengela to stalk boys playing football.
He reportedly befriended some of his victims and joined in their football games.
He was arrested on Sunday after contacting the mother of Junior Mutuku Musyoki, whose body was found on Tuesday, to demand a ransom of KES 50,000 (GBP 333) for the boy’s return.
The mother contacted the police who were able to track the signal to the suspect’s hideout in Kitengela where he was arrested.
During a search, the police found KES 4,700 (GBP 31.3) on the suspect. It was later discovered that he also contacted the father of Charles Opindo Bala about a KES 30,000 (GBP 200) ransom.
Police spokesperson George Kinoti said they are yet to determine the exact motive for the murders, and that the suspect is being detained at the Shauri Moyo police station as the investigation continues.
According to local media, the number of kidnappings in Kenya has been on the rise, however, the police insist they are on top of the situation.
