Kenya Police Search Dumpsite After Mutilated Bodies Found

Kenyan police were combing Saturday through a rubbish dump in a Nairobi slum watched by angry crowds after a number of mutilated bodies were found discarded there in plastic sacks.

Kenya's police watchdog has said it was investigating whether there was any police involvement in the gruesome discovery on Friday in the Mukuru area in the south of the capital.

On Friday, police said the severely mutilated bodies of six women tied up in plastic bags were found in rubbish-strewn waters of an abandoned quarry, causing shock and anger among locals.

The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) later said the remains of at least nine people had been recovered, seven of them female.

"The bodies, wrapped in bags and secured by nylon ropes, had visible marks of torture and mutilation," it said, noting that the dumpsite was less than 100 metres (yards) from a police station.

The IPOA is also looking into claims of abductions of demonstrators who went missing after widespread anti-government protests turned deadly.

Kenyan media reports said Saturday that more bags containing human remains had been recovered at the Mukuru site but there was no official confirmation.

Citizen TV reported that police fired in the air as tensions rose, but this could not be immediately verified.

Kenya's feared police force is often accused of extrajudicial killings and other abuses but convictions are rare.

"The discovery comes amid a troubling surge in cases of mysterious disappearances and abductions, particularly following recent protests against the finance bill," a coalition of civil society and rights groups said in a statement.

"This horrific incident is a mass fatality issue, it represents a grave violation of human rights and raises serious concerns about the rule of law and security in our country."

Kenya's law enforcement services are already under sharp scrutiny after dozens of people were killed during the demonstrations last month, with rights group accusing officers of using excessive force.

National police chief Japhet Koome, the target of much public anger over the protest deaths, resigned Friday after less than two years in the post.

He is the latest head to roll as President William Ruto scrambles to contain the worst crisis of his rule, triggered by deeply unpopular proposed tax hikes.

Crowds gathered at the dumpsite Friday chanted "Ruto must go", the slogan of Gen-Z Kenyans leading the protests which have now morphed into a wider campaign against the government, corruption and alleged police brutality.

"As the police investigations unfold, IPOA is keenly independently undertaking preliminary inquiries to establish whether there was any police involvement in the deaths, or failure to act to prevent them," the agency said.

In a separate statement, the IPOA also called for public help in its investigations into reports of abductions, unlawful arrests and disappearances during the anti-government protests.

It did not however make any link to those missing and the dumped bodies and some people on social media have described them as victims of femicide.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations said preliminary investigations suggested all the victims had been killed in the same manner, without elaborating. It said the bodies had been taken to the mortuary for postmortem examinations.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions also voiced concern about possible rights violations, highlighting the location of the bodies so close to a police station.

It directed the police to submit the results of their inquiry within 21 days, and also urged state agencies including the IPOA to expedite their investigations into the reports of abductions and killings allegedly committed by police.

Kenyan police are often accused by rights groups of using excessive force and carrying out unlawful killings, with officers rarely brought to justice.

They have also allegedly run hit squads targeting people such as rights activists and lawyers investigating alleged police abuses.

Kenya's parliament established the IPOA in 2011 to provide civilian scrutiny of a powerful institution also reputed to be among the country's most corrupt.

The resignation of the police chief followed Ruto's announcement on Thursday that he was sacking almost the entire cabinet and planning to form a "broad-based government", his latest measure to try to mollify the Gen-Z activists.