Keypoints:
- Ex-soldier held over 2012 Kenyan murder
- London court denies bail in extradition case
- Killing long strained UK–Kenya relations
A BRITISH former soldier wanted in Kenya for the 2012 killing of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru has been refused bail in London, extending a long-running case that has strained diplomatic ties between the two countries. The decision was handed down at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, with the court confirming that extradition proceedings will continue next month.
Court rejects plea for release
Robert Purkiss, who served with the British Army in Kenya more than a decade ago, was arrested earlier this month on a warrant issued by Kenyan authorities in September. Prosecutors in Nairobi accuse him of murdering Wanjiru near a British military training facility in the central Kenyan town of Nanyuki.
Purkiss has been in custody since his arrest and, through his legal team, continues to ‘vigorously deny’ any involvement in Wanjiru’s death. His lawyer, David Josse, argued that the former soldier poses no flight risk and should be released under strict bail conditions. ‘There is no logical basis for saying that this man will run away,’ Josse told the court.
However, District Judge Paul Goldspring ruled that Purkiss should remain in custody until the next phase of the extradition hearing. As officers escorted him from the courtroom, Purkiss briefly nodded to his wife and brother seated in the public gallery.
Kenyan prosecutors cite alleged confessions
Lawyers acting on behalf of the Kenyan authorities say Purkiss’ own colleagues provided statements indicating he confessed to the killing on the night Wanjiru disappeared and in the days that followed. Joel Smith, representing Kenyan prosecutors, told the court that witnesses from Purkiss’ unit gave accounts dating back to 2012.
According to the submissions, Wanjiru had arrived at Nanyuki’s Lion’s Court Hotel on the night of March 31, 2012, accompanied by friends. She had left her infant daughter in the care of a friend. Witnesses told Kenyan investigators that she was seen interacting with a group of British soldiers before leaving with one of them.
‘At about two o’clock in the morning, Ms Wanjiru left with one of the soldiers and as she left she told her friends she was going to hustle for her daughter,’ Smith said. ‘She was never seen alive again.’
Her body was discovered in a septic tank at the hotel in June 2012, prompting an outcry from her family, activists and Kenyan rights groups who have long argued that the initial investigation was obstructed.
Smith told the court that one soldier claimed Purkiss had pointed out the septic tank where Wanjiru’s body was later found. Another soldier allegedly told investigators that Purkiss said he had killed her after what he described as ‘sex that went wrong’.
Purkiss denies making any such admissions.
A case that strained bilateral relations
Wanjiru’s killing has cast a long shadow over the defence partnership between Kenya and the UK, which hosts a long-established British training facility near Nanyuki. Kenyan civil society organisations have argued for years that visiting British troops benefit from legal protections that delay or complicate investigations into offences committed during training deployments.
Her family and local campaigners say the case embodies systemic failures in accountability mechanisms embedded in the military training framework. They have publicly accused both governments of allowing the matter to drift for more than a decade.
In September, when the arrest warrant was issued, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said it remained committed to supporting Wanjiru’s family in their pursuit of justice. London has repeatedly insisted that it would cooperate fully with any lawful request from Kenyan authorities.
Extradition hearing continues next month
The next hearing is scheduled for mid-November, when the court is expected to review further submissions from both sides. If extradition is approved, Purkiss would be sent to Kenya to face murder charges under its domestic criminal law.
For Wanjiru’s relatives, who have waited more than twelve years for a resolution, Monday’s ruling marks another step in a slow and emotionally charged legal journey. Kenyan prosecutors say they are prepared to move quickly if the extradition request is granted.
More developments are expected as the court weighs the gravity of the allegations, the evidence presented by Kenyan authorities, and the defence’s claim that Purkiss has been wrongly implicated.
