Kenyan mob lynches ‘vampire’ child killer

NAIROBI: Kenyan villagers yesterday lynched a man believed to be a “bloodthirsty vampire” child murderer, days after the self-confessed serial killer escaped from police custody, officials said.

Masten Milimo Wanjala was arrested on July 14 over the disappearance of two children, but in a confession, admitted to killing at least 10 others over a five-year period, “sometimes through sucking blood from their veins before executing them”, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations said at the time.

The 20-year-old was due for a court appearance on Wednesday in Nairobi over the murders which targeted 12-and-13-year-old children, when officers noticed during the morning roll call he had disappeared. But a mob caught up with him after he was identified by school-going children at his rural home in Bungoma, more than 400 km from the police station he had escaped from.

“He comes from this area and so the children saw him and knew it was him and that is when information spread around and locals started pursuing him,” area administrator Bonface Ndiema said. “He ran into a neighbour’s house but he was flushed out and lynched.”