Philip Onyancha - The Blood-Drinking Killer

Nairobi, Kenya · 2008

unsolved Serial killer May 30, 2008

Perpetrator

Philip Ondari Onyancha

Philip Ondari Onyancha is a Kenyan man who became known as a self-confessed serial killer after his arrest in June 2010. He told police he had killed 17 people, mostly women, and drank their blood, claiming a target of 100 victims. He said a female teacher had recruited him into a blood-drinking cult while he was a high school student, and that the killings would bring him fortune.

Known Victims

At least 17 total — known victims include:

Jackline Chepngetich Misoi
Anthony Njirwa Muiruri (9)
15+ other victims (confessed)

Location

Kombo Munyiri Road, Nairobi, Kenya

Summary

Philip Onyancha confessed to killing 17 people and drinking their blood, claiming a cult teacher told him to kill 100 people to become successful. He was acquitted due to police investigation failures.

Details

Onyancha said he lured women, sexually assaulted and strangled them, and consumed their blood. After his 2010 arrest he gave a recorded confession and led investigators to remains across several Kenyan towns. He faced multiple murder charges, including the 2008 killing of Jackline Chepngetich Misoi in a Nairobi flat on Kombo Munyiri Road. In 2021, Justice Jessie Lesiit acquitted him in the Misoi case, ruling the confession inadmissible because he was handcuffed when it was recorded and citing weak investigation. He was separately sentenced to 12 years for the attempted rape of a neighbour.

Overview

Philip Ondari Onyancha is a Kenyan man who became the centre of one of the country's most notorious criminal cases after he confessed in 2010 to murdering 17 people, mostly women, and claimed to have consumed the blood of his victims. The case attracted intense national media attention because of the disturbing nature of his confession and his stated ambition to kill a far larger number of people. Despite the high-profile confession, the prosecution ultimately failed to secure a conviction in the cases brought against him, and he was acquitted of one murder charge in 2021 owing to insufficient and improperly obtained evidence.

The offences he was charged with were said to have been committed in 2008 in and around Nairobi. Onyancha was arrested in 2010, reportedly at the age of 32. His case is frequently cited in Kenya as an example of how police investigative failures can undermine even the most prominent prosecutions.

The Confession

Following his 2010 arrest, Onyancha confessed to killing 17 people and described a plan to murder as many as 100. He is widely quoted as having told investigators words to the effect of: 'My target was to kill 100 women. I managed 17 and there were 83 to go.' He claimed that while at school he had been recruited into a cult by a teacher who instructed him to kill 100 people and drink their blood in exchange for good fortune and success.

During the investigation Onyancha is reported to have led police to various lodges and locations where he said he had killed women and consumed their blood. These reconstructions, widely covered by Kenyan media, formed the dramatic public face of the case. It is important to note that the central claims about the cult, the blood-drinking, and the number of victims derive primarily from Onyancha's own confession rather than from independently established forensic proof.

Charges and Named Victims

Onyancha faced three murder charges relating to deaths in 2008. Among the named victims reported in connection with the case were Jacqueline Chepngetich Misoi, whose body was linked to a building on Kombo Munyiri Road in Nairobi in May 2008; Catherine Chelangat, associated with the Karen area in November 2008; and Anthony Njirwa Muiruri, a 14-year-old, in connection with Dagoretti.

While Onyancha's confession referenced 17 killings, the formal charges that proceeded through the courts involved a much smaller number of cases. The disparity between the number of deaths he confessed to and the number that could be formally prosecuted became a defining feature of the case and a focus of public criticism.

Trial and Acquittal

The case wound through the Kenyan courts for more than a decade. When Onyancha appeared before Justice Jessie Lesiit, he denied the charges against him. The proceedings were marked by procedural difficulties, and the prosecution struggled to present admissible, corroborating evidence beyond the confession itself. Reports indicate that questions were raised about Onyancha's mental state at the time of the alleged offences.

In July 2021, the High Court acquitted Onyancha in the case concerning Jacqueline Chepngetich Misoi. The court found that the prosecution had not produced sufficient evidence to prove that he was responsible for her death, with the judge stating that there was no evidence that the accused was the author of her death. Concerns were also raised about how his confession had been recorded, including reporting that he had been handcuffed during the process, which was viewed as undermining the voluntariness of the statement.

Aftermath and Significance

The acquittal generated significant public debate in Kenya, where many struggled to reconcile a detailed public confession with a courtroom outcome of freedom. Commentators and journalists characterised the result as a consequence of shoddy police work, arguing that investigators had relied too heavily on a confession while failing to assemble the forensic and corroborating evidence necessary to sustain a conviction. The case is now widely referenced as a cautionary example of investigative and prosecutorial failure.

Because the most sensational elements of the story rest largely on Onyancha's own statements, and because the courts did not convict him, the case remains legally and factually unresolved in important respects. The true number of victims, the existence and identity of any cult teacher, and the veracity of the blood-drinking claims have not been independently established through the legal process.

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Frequently asked questions

What was the Philip Onyancha - The Blood-Drinking Killer case?

Who was responsible for Philip Onyancha - The Blood-Drinking Killer?

Philip Ondari Onyancha. Philip Ondari Onyancha is a Kenyan man who became known as a self-confessed serial killer after his arrest in June 2010. He told police he had killed 17 people, mostly women, and drank their blood, claiming a target of 100 victims. He said a female teacher had recruited him into a blood-drinking cult while he was a high school student, and that the killings would bring him fortune.

How many victims were there in the Philip Onyancha - The Blood-Drinking Killer case?

At least 17 victims are associated with this case, including named victims such as Jackline Chepngetich Misoi, Anthony Njirwa Muiruri, 15+ other victims (confessed).

Where and when did the Philip Onyancha - The Blood-Drinking Killer case take place?

It took place in Nairobi, Kenya in 2008.

Was the Philip Onyancha - The Blood-Drinking Killer case solved?

This case remains officially unsolved.

Sources & further reading

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