Police probe ritual-like killing of watchmen in Kakamega

Police are investigating the likelihood of ritual killing of watchmen in Kakamega county.

Seven watchmen have been hacked to death by unknown people in Kakamega town and its environs in the last one and a half months.

Some of the murdered guards had their heads crushed and body parts, including eyes, gouged out and tongues removed in what points at ritual-like killing.

The chilling sequence of the murder has instilled fear in the business community, who are wondering what is happening as nothing was stolen in almost all the incidents.

Those who reviewed CCTV footages of premises the murdered watchmen were guarding said a lone attacker is captured dangling an object in his hand as he enters the targeted area.

A senior police officer aware of the level of investigation told the Star the guards were being killed by a serial killer, who is on the run.

“All these dead watchmen were killed by one person. He is a serial killer, probably out for rituals. We have his photos and will soon arrest him. He escaped by a whisker recently,” a senior police officer, who sought anonymity, said.

He said information gathered indicate the suspected serial killer has killed 11 people alone.

The attacker does not steal anything after hacking his targets to death, except in one incident where the assailant took the phone of his victim. 

Police say the suspect could be killing guards because they are easy targets.

Most of the killings happened along the Kakamega-Webuye highway—between Lurambi and Kambi ya Mwanza markets.

The chilling murders have left residents scared.