Discovered by chance Kenyan man kills wife and carries her body parts in his backpack

A routine check has put the police in Kenya on the trail of a murder. Instead of stolen goods, a suspect was carrying body parts in his rucksack. The victim is his wife.

DPA

24.01.2025, 13:33

dpa

A 29-year-old Kenyan is said to have murdered and dismembered his 19-year-old wife. According to the Kenyan police's Criminal Investigation Department, the man was noticed by a police patrol because he was traveling at 5 a.m. with an obviously heavy backpack. When they checked him, they found body parts in the rucksack instead of stolen goods or drugs. During initial questioning, the man revealed that it was his wife, they said.

In the couple's house, police officers reportedly found more body parts under the bed, the victim's blood-soaked clothes and a sharp knife. There was also blood everywhere on the floor. Some body parts are still missing. Detectives are still searching for the missing parts.

The motive for the crime is also still unclear. The 29-year-old was arrested and a magistrate ordered an initial three-week remand in custody.

Similarities to last year's case

The case is reminiscent of the discovery of body parts at a garbage dump in Nairobi last year. Back then, a 42-year-old man was finally arrested for allegedly murdering and dismembering 42 women.

Femicides occur again and again in Kenya - according to a police report from the end of last year, there were 90 cases within three months.

Femicide means that women are killed because of their gender - in other words, because they are women. The most common form is the killing of women by partners or ex-partners.