There was shock after at least six bodies were retrieved from a dumpsite in Mukuru slums, Nairobi.
Residents and human rights organisations claimed they had retrieved at least nine bodies, but police said they were six.
Embakasi police boss Wesley Kimeto said they had retrieved six bodies.
“The others are body parts. The search is ongoing,” he said.
A statement by DCI Mohamed Amin said the six severely mutilated bodies, all female, were wrapped in nylon papers and reinforced with nylon ropes.
He said preliminary investigations suggest a similar mode of killing.
Amin said homicide detectives and officers from the forensics division of the DCI are analysing samples to identify the bodies.
Witnesses and police said some had burns. There are fears the toll could rise.
They seemed to have been killed elsewhere end dumped near Kware police station.
The bodies were discovered by youths at midday on Friday.
Police arrived at the scene as the bodies were being retrieved by the youth and helped to move them to the mortuary, pending identification and postmortem.
A team of human rights officials joined efforts to retrieve the bodies before police arrived.
Police had to shoot in the air to disperse a crowd that gathered at the scene.
By 5.30pm, the search was ongoing amid chaos.
Law Society of Kenya president Faith Odhiambo termed the discovery unacceptable.
This comes amid complaints that a number of people are missing after last month’s anti-tax protests in the country.
Some have been found dead in mortuaries and others are yet to be found.
Various government agencies are investigating the issue amid devastation in families.
The discovery came as Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture Technology students held protests to demand justice for one of them who was killed and his body dumped at a quarry in the area.
Denzel Omondi, 23, was among those who participated in the Occupy Parliament protests on June 25.
No arrest has been made.
The bodies of other youths from Kisii and who participated in the protests were found in the mortuary.
Various government agencies are investigating the murder amid protests from families and human rights organisations.
President William Ruto vowed there will be no extrajudicial killings in his government.