A man referred to by the authorities as a “bloodthirsty vampire” has admitted to the murder of at least 10 children before meeting a violent end himself.
Masten Wanjala enticed his young victims by posing as a coach, then leading them to secluded areas where he would viciously strangle or bludgeon them with a blunt object.
The serial killer reportedly sometimes drugged the children and even consumed the blood of some victims, as per information provided by the BBC. The bodies of the victims were frequently disposed of in dense vegetation or hidden in sewer lines in the vicinity of Nairobi, according to the police.
Wanjala was just a teenager when he committed his first murder, abducting a 12-year-old girl in Machakos County, east of Nairobi, Kenya, in 2016, as reported by AFP.
His capture finally occurred on July 14, 2021, in relation to the deaths of two boys aged 12 and 13.
Subsequently, Wanjala admitted to the murder of at least 10 children, with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) stating that he sometimes drained blood from their veins before killing them. He also disclosed the locations where some of his victims were hidden.
However, three months after his apprehension, on October 13, 2021, the 20-year-old managed to escape from the Jogoo Road police station, triggering an extensive search operation in Nairobi.
The man’s father expressed astonishment at his son’s escape, stating to a local news channel in Kenya that he had not seen his son and had no desire to do so.
On October 15, Wanjala was identified by schoolchildren in his hometown of Bungoma, approximately 250 miles from Nairobi.
Local administrator Bonface Ndiema recounted, as per AFP, that the children recognized him from the area and alerted the community, leading to a pursuit. Eventually, Wanjala sought refuge in a neighbor’s residence but was apprehended and subsequently lynched.
A witness confirmed that Wanjala was strangled to death by an enraged mob. The Kenyan Directorate of Criminal Investigations described the incident as an application of “jungle law” by furious villagers following Wanjala’s demise.
Grace Adhiambo, the mother of one of Wanjala’s teenage victims, Brian Omondi, expressed her anguish to the BBC, stating her desire to understand the reasons behind her son’s murder.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site
