Denis Kazungu, 34, suspected of killing and burying people in his rented residence was arrested by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) on September 5.
When The New Times visited the scene of the alleged crime in Gashikiri village, in Busanza cell, Kanombe sector, in Kicukiro District, a day later, a number of people had gathered there. Local security personnel barred people from entering the suspect’s isolated home but reporters were allowed in.
The neighbourhood in Kanombe, Kicukiro District, is mostly surrounded by undeveloped plots of land. By and large, the area is quiet save for some activity due to road construction works about 500 metres away. The lack of fencing is the first thing passersby notice about the suspect’s small home. A section of the house’s wall was knocked down by investigators, area residents claimed.
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Upon entering the house, an unpleasant odour looms, emanating from a covered hole reportedly dug in the kitchen area. The soil excavated from the pit was still inside and one side of the kitchen was damaged. Kazungu reportedly paid Rwf 50,000 in monthly rent.
Eric Dusenge, a resident living near the alleged serial killer&039;s home, describes him as a tall light-skinned man of average build. Locals said the suspect was social but loved to wear hats, most often concealing part of his face. Dusenge said his interactions with people did not arouse suspicion as they saw him as a kind man probably from a rich family.
"You would find him at home in the mornings and oftentimes, he would leave the home in the afternoon,” he added.
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Dusenge noted that Kazungu occasionally invited young women to his house. They arrived on motorbikes and none of them were from the neighbourhood.
Sifa Tuombe, another resident of Gashikiri village, knew Kazungu as "a kind-hearted person" who had lived there for over a year. She noted that at first, Kazungu used to live with another young man whom he claimed was his brother before he started living alone.
Another elderly neighbour who only identified himself as Boniface noted that though Kazungu seemed social, he never allowed neighbours into his house.
"Whenever local leaders or the landlord came to his home, he would become agitated and deny them entry . He claimed that there was a cobra inside the house, which unnerved them," and Boniface said.
Boniface said that Kazungu was in the past detained on suspicion of robbing and raping young women who visited him, but was later released. Boniface believes that if local leaders had pursued the case diligently, they might have unmasked Kazungu’s crimes earlier and possibly saved some lives.
Emmanuel Nizeyimana, the Executive Secretary of Busanza cell, also stated that Kazungu had on different occassions been apprehended for incidents involving theft of money and mobile phones from young women. It is claimed that he often brought his victims to his home and sexually assaulted them.
But no one suspected he killed some of these women.
"Two weeks ago, the landlord brought a case to the cell stating that Kazungu hadn't paid rent for seven months,” Nizeyimana continued.
"On September 4, we went to his house to evict him but Kazungu tried to fight us, leading to his apprehension. He apologised and cried, which raised our suspicions. We detained him and I personally took him to the police. It is at the police station where he confessed to having killed some people, prompting RIB to dispatch an investigative team to his home.”
According to Nizeyimana, Kazungu previously rented a house in Kimironko and managed a nursery school that was later closed.