Police say nine bodies have been recovered so far and autopsies are underway in Nairobi.
The prime suspect arrested after mutilated female bodies were discovered at a Nairobi garbage dump has confessed to murdering 42 women, Kenyan police say.
“The suspect confessed to having lured, killed and dumped 42 female bodies at the landfill,” Mohamed Amin, head of the Criminal Investigations Directorate, told reporters on Monday.
“We are dealing with a serial killer, a psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life,” Amin said shortly after announcing the arrest.
He also said a second suspect, who was caught with a victim's phone, was also arrested.
Acting Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said the main suspect, 33, was arrested at about 3 a.m. local time (00:00 GMT) near a bar in a joint operation by the Criminal Investigation Directorate and the National Police Service.
He said that a total of nine bodies have been recovered so far and that autopsies of the victims will be carried out on Monday.
A video posted on social media also showed police presenting several pieces of evidence allegedly linked to the alleged killer.
Since Friday, mutilated and dismembered bodies, tied in plastic bags, have been pulled from piles of garbage in the Mukuru slums in the south of the capital, horrifying the country.
Police said Sunday that the nine animals recovered were all female.
Tensions rose at the crime scene over the weekend as angry residents were dispersed by police firing tear gas.
The discoveries have also shone a new light on Kenyan police and added further pressure on President William Ruto, who is struggling to contain a crisis over widespread anti-government protests that have seen dozens of demonstrators killed.
The protests were sparked after the government raised taxes despite people struggling with the cost of living crisis.
