JUST IN: KENYA POLICE OFFERS CASH REWARD ON ESCAPED SUSPECTED SERIAL KILLER

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Kenyan police offered a $10,000 reward on Thursday for information leading to the capture of a suspected serial killer who had escaped from a Nairobi police cell.

Collins Jumaisi, who is accused of murdering and dismembering dozens of women, escaped from a police station in Nairobi’s upscale district on Tuesday with 12 Eritreans, prompting authorities to initiate a manhunt.

Five cops appeared in court on Wednesday, accused of helping Jumaisi’s escape, and were released on a 200,000 Kenyan shilling ($1,500) bond, despite prosecutors’ request to keep them in detention for 14 days.

The 33-year-old Jumaisi, described by police as a “vampire, a psychopath,” was detained last month following the discovery of several mutilated female bodies in a waste dump in Nairobi’s Mukuru slum.

Police believe he admitted to murdering 42 people over a two-year period beginning in 2022, with his wife as the first victim, but the suspect claims he was tortured after being arrested.

According to officers, Jumaisi and the other men fled by cutting through a wire mesh roof where he was being confined and scaling a perimeter wall.

“A significant cash reward will be provided to anyone with credible information leading to the suspect’s arrest,” the Directorate of Criminal Investigations stated, but did not specify the sum.

A suspect in a high-profile case has escaped custody in Nairobi for the second time in less than six months.

The latest twist in the macabre narrative has incensed many Kenyans, with the country outraged by the discovery of the slaughtered women.

It has also focused attention on police, as the deaths were discovered barely 100 meters (yards) from a police station.

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Kenya’s police watchdog, the Independent Police Oversight Authority, has said it is investigating whether there was any police participation or a “failure to act to prevent” the deaths.

Rights groups frequently accuse Kenyan police of carrying out unlawful killings or running hit squads, although few have been prosecuted.