Kenyan police arrested a man with a mutilated body in his backpack, which reportedly belonged to his 19-year-old wife.

Police encountered John Kiama Wambua, 29, while patrolling in Huruma district east of Nairobi before dawn.

A statement from Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) said they suspected Wambua was carrying illegal items, so they searched his backpack and “to their shock” found body parts.

This is by no means an isolated case – Kenya has one of the highest rates of femicide or gender-related killings in Africa.

According to the DCI statement, after police interrogated Mr Wambua, he told them that the body parts belonged to his wife, Joy Fridah Munani.

According to reports, he seemed to be “taken in stride” by the police discovery.

After the interrogation, Wambua led police to his home, where they found a knife, blood-soaked clothes and more body parts under the bed.

The DCI called the act “outrageous” and added that the suspect will be formally charged with murder at an upcoming court hearing.

The Kenya National Police said at least 97 women were murdered between August and October last year.

In December, hundreds of women took to the streets of the capital, Nairobi, to protest against a recent wave of femicide. Police reportedly fired tear gas at them.

There have been a number of high-profile murders of women in Kenya. September 2024, Olympic runner Rebecca Cheputegui Killed by her ex-partner.

The 33-year-old died days after her home in western Kenya was doused with petrol and set alight.

In July, police arrested Collins Jumaisi Khalusha, whom they described as a “serial killer” after the mutilated bodies of nine women were found in an abandoned quarry.

Mr Kalusa escaped from prison a month later and appears to still be on the run.

Earlier that year, in a case that sparked widespread outrage, A young woman named Rita Waeni was brutally murdered. Apartments for short term rental. Police said she was dismembered and stuffed into plastic bags.