A mobile phone belonging to Christine Mwende Mathina, who has been missing since February 2024 in the Mukuru slums of Nairobi, was discovered among items recovered from suspected serial killer Collins Jumaisi Khalusha.
Christine’s disappearance adds to the growing list of identified victims, increasing the number to three out of the 13 bodies found at the Kware dump site.
According to police, three families, including those of Josphine Mulongo, Roselyne Akoth, and Christine Mwende, have come forward with testimonies that support murder charges against the accused.
The latest developments surfaced after Christine’s family approached the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters, reporting their search for her.
They recounted that on February 27, 2024, around 6:00 PM, Christine’s phone went unanswered while she was in Mukuru Kwa Njenga who had planned to meet her boyfriend, Brian Ngumbao, at her home that evening, but both of her Safaricom numbers were unresponsive.
Around 6:30 PM, Brian managed to reach one of Christine’s numbers, but a male voice answered, claiming Christine had gone to buy food.
Shortly after, the phones went off. Concerned, Brian traveled to Mukuru Kwa Njenga and found Christine’s house locked. Using his keys, he entered and found her purse and some clothes but no sign of Christine. Neighbors confirmed they last saw her enter her house that morning.
Brian spent the night waiting for her but to no avail. The following day, he informed Christine’s parents in Kitui County, who advised him to keep searching.
On February 29, Brian filed a missing person report at Villa police station. When Christine’s parents arrived, they were referred to DCI Embakasi for further assistance.
A few days later, the family moved Christine’s belongings out of her rental house as she had not paid rent for several months.
On July 12, 2024, they learned about bodies being retrieved from the Kware dump site and decided to report the matter to DCI headquarters on July 18. They provided Christine’s IMEI number, which matched a phone recovered from Collins Jumaisi’s house, indicating he had her missing phone.
Police advised the family to visit City Mortuary for potential identification and DNA sampling. Investigators are also analyzing call data records to determine any prior communication or location overlaps between Christine and the suspect.
DCI Director Mohamed Amin confirmed on Monday that Collins Jumaisi confessed to killing 42 women between 2022 and July 11, 2024.
His first victim was his wife, whom he strangled, dismembered, and dumped after a disagreement over business failures.
Jumaisi was arrested in Kayole after a joint operation by the DCI and National Police Service (NPS). The search led to the recovery of various items, including 24 Airtel SIM card holders, eight smartphones, a laptop, a hard drive, two flash drives, a machete, 12 nylon sacks, industrial rubber gloves, ID cards, a pink handbag, female undergarments, cannabis, cello tapes, a reflector jacket, title deeds, notebooks, and other documents.
