A Kenyan court has issued an arrest warrant for a British citizen in connection with the 2012 murder of Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan woman.
High Court Judge Alexander Muteti ruled that there was “probable cause” to order the suspect’s arrest and surrender to a Kenyan court for trial.
The Office for the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) stated that the evidence gathered “links the suspect, a United Kingdom citizen, to the murder.” The ODPP is now initiating extradition proceedings to bring the individual to trial in Kenya.
Agnes Wanjiru’s body was discovered in a septic tank in 2012 after she was last seen with British soldiers at a hotel in Nanyuki, where a permanent British army garrison is located. Her sister, Rose Wanyua Wanjiku, expressed her happiness with the development, saying, “Let justice prevail.”
The case gained significant attention after a 2021 report by The Sunday Times alleged that a British soldier had confessed to the murder to his comrades. The report claimed that military superiors were informed but did not take further action.
The arrest warrant marks a significant step forward in a case that has been stalled for years. While a Kenyan investigation was opened in 2019, no results were ever released.
The issue of jurisdiction for British soldiers who commit crimes in Kenya has been a point of contention between the two countries, with the UK previously stating it does not accept the Kenyan court’s jurisdiction over the matter.
