Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister Micheál Martin canceled his scheduled visit to Mukuru Kwa Njenga on Tuesday, July 16, following the discovery of bodies at the Kware dumpsite in Nairobi.
Martin cited escalating security concerns in the country and announced that the visit would be rescheduled.
“It’s a shocking story. I think we have to wait for further details and background to this, but it’s quite shocking,” he said.
The Irish Ambassador to Kenya, Caitríona Ingoldsby, informed him of the murders in the informal settlement area upon his arrival in Kenya.
Martin had planned to visit an Irish-funded health project, Misean Cara, in Mukuru Kwa Njenga, but this was postponed as he attended to other official duties.
He condemned the murders and emphasized the Irish government’s support for women, which was the purpose of his visit to the health center run by the Medical Missionaries of Mary.
“We fund and support that project by providing extraordinary support to women and young girls, particularly in terms of their health. That such an atrocity, multiple atrocities, could have occurred so close to that is quite shocking,” Martin stated.
“There are obviously security challenges here as there are elsewhere, but we must keep on working and supporting efforts to improve the situation all around,” he added.
His visit to Kenya was also disrupted by widespread protests in Nairobi and other major cities, where Kenyans staged anti-government demonstrations.
Despite the protests, Martin met with President Ruto on Tuesday to discuss strengthening diplomatic ties.
The discovery of over 10 bodies at the dumpsite since Friday last week has alarmed Kenyans. The police and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have launched an investigation into the case.
So far, Collins Jumaisi Khalusha has been arrested as the prime suspect in connection with the murders. The DCI claimed that the suspect confessed to killing 42 women over two years. However, his lawyer denied this, stating that his client was tortured into making the confession.
