Kware killings: 'My last moments with my dear daughter'
Josephine Adisa, the mother of the late Imelda Judith Khalenya, who was the wife of the main suspect in the Kware killings, at the DCI headquarters on July 15, 2024.
What you need to know:
- The distraught mother said she lost contact with her deceased daughter in 2021.
- The deceased dropped out of school left their home in Moi's Bridge, Uasin Gishu County.
The mother of the wife of the suspected Kware serial killer has given a chilling account of how she came to discover the death of her daughter.
Ms Josephine Adisa, who is the the mother of the Imelda Judith Khalenya, made the revelations while recording her statement at the DCI headquarters on Monday evening.
The distraught mother said she lost contact with her deceased daughter in 2021 after she dropped out of school left their home in Moi's Bridge, Uasin Gishu County.
"She would use her social media account to contact her friends and family. But her accounts went dead in mid-2022 and no one ever heard from her again," Ms Adisa said.
The mother, who is a domestic worker at Nairobi's Fedha estate, narrated how she received a call from her younger brother informing her that her daughter had been murdered and was among the victims of the Kware killings.
"He told me that Imelda was using another name, Akinyi, and that she had been brutally murdered. I stopped what I was doing and sat dazed as I absorbed the message," she said.
Josephine Adisa, the mother of the late Imelda Judith Khalenya, breaks down on July 16, 2024 while recounting her last moments with her daughter.
Ms Adisa said she found the news unbelievable because she had been in constant communication with her other brother who had not told her anything of the sort.
"Later on, my other brother called me and confirmed that it was true. I left my workstation, went home and picked my daughter and told her to escort me to the Kware dumpsite," she said.
When she arrived at Kware Police Station, she received a call with a request for her to rush to the DCI headquarters and record her statement.
She recalled that someone once called her in 2021 saying he was a pastor and that he was married to her daughter.
As fate would have it, Ms Adisa never met this man and she is not sure whether he is the same Collins Jomaisa who was arrested on suspicion of being the prime suspect behind the macabre murders.
"Yes, my daughter broke my heart when she dropped out of school. But when I heard of her death, the pain was incomparable to her wrongs. She is still my dear child. All I’m asking for from the government is justice," she said.
At the same, DCI boss, Mohamed Amin has issued a warning to social media influencers who he said are working to discredit their investigations and arrest of Jomaisa.
He specifically cited one X user, who shortly after the DCI released photos of the suspect, posted the photo of another person on social media, claiming the latter was the actual suspect who should have been arrested by detectives.
Mr Amin termed the said post as careless and unverified information.
Jairus Onkundi at the DCI headquarters on July 15, 2024.
After the post went viral, Jairus Onkundi, a 24-year-old computer science graduate of Meru University of Science and Technology, rushed to the DCI headquarters in an effort to clear his name.
“I received numerous calls from friends and families telling me that I have been linked to the Kware case. I got so worried and my supervisor advised me to come to DCI and clear my name," he said.
Mr Onkundi said he had to do so lest he be mistaken for the prime suspect while walking along the streets of Nairobi and be subjected to mob injustice.
"I have never been arrested for any crime. Right now, I feel my life is in danger. It is unfortunate that some who I have never met can decide to randomly pick my photo and link me to such a case," he said, even as he cautioned social media users to verify information that they receive online.
The Kware killings hit the headlines on Friday morning when several bodies dumped at an abandoned quarry, now a dumpsite, were discovered.
So far, nine bodies have been retrieved from the scene.
Mr Amin said the main suspect confessed to have committed the murders of the persons found at the dumpsite and revealed that he had killed 42 women between 2022 and July 11, 2024.
The suspect was arrested in Soweto, Kayole at 1am, Monday morning.
Upon his arrest, the police said the suspect led them to his house where several items – including a machete, 24 sim cards, eight ID cards, sellotapes, nylon sacks – believed to have been used in criminal acts were recovered.
The suspect is currently in custody at the DCI headquarters and is expected to be presented in court Tuesday morning.
