Kware killings: Unraveling the mind, methods of a serial killer

Kenyans were last week awakened to a shocking revelation as dismembered bodies placed in sacks were discovered in the Kware dumpsite in Mukuru Kwa Njenga. Following this revelation, Kenya’s sleuths profiled Collins Jumaisi Khalusha as the prime suspect in the killings of the persons whose bodies were found in the dumpsite.

In a statement to the press, Directorate of Criminal Investigation Chief Mohamed Amin said Collins Khalusha had confessed to murdering 42 women, including his wife “Imelda,” between 2022 and July 11, 2024, and dumping their bodies in the dumpsite.

"We are dealing with a psychopathic serial killer who has no respect for human life," the DCI boss said.

Khalusha’s case, however, is not the first to be linked with a serial killer’s act. This article explores who is a serial killer and the motivations that push someone to commit such crimes.

Serial crimes are repetitive crimes such as serial murder, serial rape, and serial arson. These crimes are carried out by habitual offenders who usually commit the same type of crime in the same manner.

For a crime to qualify as a serial crime, there must be unlawful homicides of at least two people (victims) carried out by the same person(s) in separate events happening at different times.

Kenya has had infamous serial killers who have left behind a bewildering trail of murders. Upon detection, these serial killers often took detectives to their exact locations of disposing of victims and even re-enacted the acts.

• Evans Wafula: Targeted minors aged 10 to 15 in Moi’s Bridge, Uasin-Gishu County. He defiled and killed them, showing a consistent signature.
• Masten Wanjala: Confessed with killing 13 people, starting with a 12-year-old girl named Purity Maweu when he was barely 16 years old.
• Philip Onyancha: Shocked the nation in 2010 by confessing to murdering 17 women. He claimed a cult directed him to drink the blood of 100 people.
• Geoffrey Matheri (Fugo): Infamous in 2008, Matheri planned to suck his victims' blood and eat their flesh. He confessed to burying his victims and keeping their panties as trophies.
• Edward Maina Shimoli: Killed in 2007, Shimoli confessed to murdering 14 people and raping 88 women. He escaped from Kamiti Maximum Prison four times.

Some key manifestations of offender behaviour at a crime scene that can help in identifying serial killers are:

• Modus Operandi (M.O.): M.O. refers to offenders' actions while committing the crime. This distinctive pattern uniquely identifies wrongful conduct as the same person's work. For example, some killers operate only in specific geographical locations and will never operate beyond their defined jurisdiction.
• Signature: A signature is something unique that the offender does that never changes across his/her crimes. In serial crimes, the offender ensures that the signature is left at crime scenes, becoming part of their ritual.
• Staging: Staging is the deliberate alteration of the crime scene before the arrival of the investigation team. An organized crime scene is a sign of staging, while a disorganized crime scene indicates the killer acted opportunistically. Staging either directs the course of the investigation away from the most logical suspects or protects the victimization of the victim's family.

Various factors, including anger, psychosis, ideology, power/thrill, criminal enterprise, financial gain, and sexuality drive serial crimes. Criminal enterprises may involve groups dealing with the sale of human organs.

Some serial killers enjoy exercising dominant power over their victims or watching them suffer, hence power/thrill as a motivation. Serial killers often have a unique way of identifying their victims.

For example, in the case of the Kware killings, all the victims were women, which was a calling card. Similarly, Evans Wanjala, a renowned serial killer who made headlines in 2021 in Uasin-Gishu County, targeted victims between the ages of 10 and 15, another unique aspect to note.

• Visionary Serial Killers: These killers suffer from psychosis and tend to be delusional, often driven by hallucinations.
• Mission-Oriented Serial Killers: They murder for revenge and to eliminate a specific group or class of people. For instance, they may target women or infants.
• Hedonistic Serial Killers: Driven by sexual pleasure, lust, thrill, and financial gain, these killers murder for personal benefit. This category includes those motivated by sexual pleasure and financial gain.
• Power-Control Serial Killers: They kill to gain control and exert power over their victims. Sexual crimes such as sadistic and paedophilic behaviours are often associated with this type of serial crime.

Crime Quantity: There must be at least three murders. In this aspect, the Kware dumpsite killings qualify as serial crimes, with at least ten bodies retrieved so far.

Place: The murders must occur at different locations. It remains unclear whether the Kware bodies were moved from different crime scenes.

Time: There must be a "cooling-off period" between murders, allowing the killer to return to normal life and plan the next act. This aspect is still under investigation in the Kware case.

Serial crimes can manifest as either mass murder or spree murder:

• Mass Murder: Involves killing four or more victims at one location. The Kware dumpsite killings might fit this category, depending on the investigation’s findings.
• Spree Murder: Involves killing three or more victims in different locations without a cooling-off period. It remains unclear if the Kware murders fall under this category.

The growing incidences of serial crimes highlight the need for proactive policing and strict adherence to the Constitution to curb these heinous acts.