The ‘invisible’ histories and ‘inaudible’ stories in the confessions of infamous serial killers: a reading of The Cannibal and I Killed Eighteen

Abstract

This paper discusses The Cannibal and I Killed Eighteen, KTN’s two documentary Case Files that profile Geoffrey Matheri and Philip Onyancha’s confessions as serial killers. With the hindsight that documentaries generally document true crime stories, the discussion closely follows the journalist’s narration vis-à-vis the victims’ confessions, truths, and evidences and it attempts a closure to Dennis Onsarigo’s observation that each of the two cases is still a case open. The study is informed by two observations; first, despite the victims’ glaring testimonies of their macabre killings, both were jailed for the lesser allegations of attempted rape crimes and assaults, and second, though Onyancha publicly confessed to have murdered eighteen, he still contemplates writing a book ‘The Untold Story’ of which he says the book will allow Kenyans to know the truth, Guided by Narrative Theories, this study activates ‘invisible’ histories and ‘inaudible’ stories and it considers how the aesthetic qualities of the documentary and production process place the works between their actuality and the supposed reality in the outside world.