Keypoints:
- Nairobi court issues warrant for UK citizen
- Extradition move follows decade-old Wanjiru murder
- British Army presence in Kenya under scrutiny
A NAIROBI High Court judge has issued an arrest warrant for a British citizen in connection with the 2012 killing of Kenyan mother Agnes Wanjiru, whose body was discovered in a septic tank more than a decade ago.
Justice Alexander Muteti ruled there was ‘probable cause to order the arrest of the accused and his surrender before this court for his trial’. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) said evidence gathered links the unnamed United Kingdom national to the murder.
Following the ruling, the ODPP confirmed on X that extradition proceedings will be launched to bring the suspect before a Kenyan court.
Family welcomes long-awaited step
Wanjiru’s sister, Rose Wanyua Wanjiku, 52, welcomed the court’s decision. ‘Let justice prevail,’ she told AFP, adding that the family is ‘very happy because it has been many years but now we can see a step has been made’.
The British government acknowledged the development, stating that Kenya’s prosecutors had ‘determined that a British national should face trial in relation to the murder of Ms Wanjiru in 2012’. A government spokesperson said London remains ‘absolutely committed to helping them secure justice’, while declining further comment due to ongoing legal proceedings.
Alleged soldier confession
In October 2021, The Sunday Times reported that a British soldier confessed to fellow troops that he had killed Wanjiru and even showed them her body. The paper alleged the incident was reported to military superiors but no action followed.
Kenyan authorities opened an investigation in 2019 but released no findings. The ODPP recently said a team of senior prosecutors was reviewing the case to push it forward. British Defence Minister John Healey met Wanjiru’s family earlier this year and stressed the need to ‘accelerate progress’.
Strained UK–Kenya ties over jurisdiction
The killing has strained relations between Nairobi and London, particularly over the jurisdiction of British soldiers stationed in Kenya. The UK has previously stated it does not accept the jurisdiction of the Kenyan court investigating Wanjiru’s death.
Britain maintains a permanent army base near Nanyuki, about 200 kilometres north of Nairobi. The British Army Training Unit in Kenya provides local jobs and economic support but has drawn criticism over alleged misconduct by its soldiers.
