Officers from a police station near a garbage dump where dismembered body parts were found have been redeployed, Kenya’s acting inspector general of police said.
On Sunday, Douglas Kanja Kirocho said eight bodies of women had been recovered so far from the site in the capital Nairobi.
Kenya’s police watchdog had earlier announced it would investigate police involvement in the gruesome deaths, which follow allegations of widespread human rights abuses by officers during recent anti-government protests.
Mr Kirocho said officers from Kware police station were being deployed to conduct a “fair and impartial investigation” into the “horrific” deaths.
Detectives have been searching the site in the Mukuru slum since Friday, when the bodies of six women were found in bags floating in a sea of garbage.
On Saturday, five more bags containing body parts were found.
Preliminary reports indicate the bodies were in various stages of decomposition and the deceased were between 18 and 30 years old.
According to officers, some of the bags contained severed legs and torsos. They suspect the deaths are linked to the activities of cult members or serial killers.
But the Independent Police Oversight Authority said “widespread allegations of police involvement in unlawful arrests (and) kidnappings” mean a preliminary investigation is being conducted to establish whether there is any police connection.
Human rights groups have accused police of shooting people dozens of people demonstrated against the planned tax increases earlier this month, some of which were fatal.
Police are also accused of abducting or arbitrarily arresting hundreds of people during the protests.
In response to the bodies found in Mukuru, the Independent Police Oversight Authority reported: “The bodies, wrapped in sacks and tied with nylon ropes, showed visible signs of torture and mutilation.”
The watchdog also noted that the dumpsite was located less than 100 metres from the Kware police station.
Contrary to the police report, the Independent Police Oversight Authority reported that nine dismembered bodies were found at the Mukuru dumpsite – seven women and two men.
Mr Kirocho said police aim to complete the investigation into the deaths “within 21 days”.
According to local media, police deployed two water cannons on Saturday after angry protesters threatened to open the bags containing human remains.
Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) urged people to remain calm and give them space to investigate the discoveries, accusing the protesters of obstructing their investigation.
The gruesome discovery has put pressure on President William Ruto, who has vowed that those responsible for the killings will be punished.
“We are a democratic country governed by the rule of law. Those involved in mysterious killings in Nairobi and any other part of the country will be held accountable,” he said in a message to X, formerly Twitter.
It is yet another disturbing incident of its kind in Kenya.
Last year, the country was shocked when the remains of hundreds of people linked to a cult that prophesied doom were discovered in the Indian Ocean coastal town of Malindi.
Paul Nthenge Mackenzie was tried earlier this week in Mombasa on charges of terrorism and murder over the deaths of more than 440 of his followers. He denies the charges.
He is said to have encouraged men, women and children to starve themselves to ‘meet Jesus’, one of the world’s worst cult massacres.
