A Kenyan court has issued an arrest warrant for a British national suspected of murdering Agnes Wanjiru, whose body was discovered in the grounds of a hotel near a British army base in 2012.
High Court judge Alexander Muteti granted the warrant on Tuesday following an application by prosecutors, who confirmed that the suspect has been charged with murder. The move is intended to facilitate extradition proceedings from the United Kingdom to Kenya.
Prosecutors told the court that UK-based witnesses will be called to testify at a future trial. “The witnesses are in the United Kingdom but we will avail them,” the court was told.
Wanjiru, a 21-year-old hairdresser from Nanyuki, was last seen on 31 March 2012 in the company of British soldiers at the Lion’s Court Hotel. She disappeared that night, and her body was found months later in a septic tank at the hotel. She left behind a five-month-old daughter, Stacey.
Kenyan authorities are expected to begin formal extradition proceedings. If successful, it would mark the first time a current or former British soldier has been extradited to face trial abroad for the murder of a civilian.
In a statement, Wanjiru’s family described the development as “a significant moment” in their long campaign for justice. “We have lived with the pain of Agnes’s death for over a decade,” they said. Their lawyer, Tessa Gregory of Leigh Day, urged the British government to “do everything in its power” to ensure the suspect is extradited without delay.
Wanjiru’s death has been the subject of two inquests and multiple criminal investigations. The Lion’s Court Hotel bar was a popular venue for soldiers from the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), based in Nanyuki, around 125 miles north of Nairobi.
An inquest heard that Wanjiru was last seen leaving the bar with one or more British soldiers. In 2021, a Sunday Times investigation named a suspect, identified by several soldiers from the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment. Since then, Kenyan detectives have travelled to the UK several times to interview soldiers and ex-soldiers who were in Nanyuki at the time.
Earlier this year, Defence Secretary John Healey met Wanjiru’s family in Kenya, pledging the UK’s “full support” for the investigation. “In the 13 years since her death, they have shown such strength in their long fight for justice,” he said.
A UK government spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the family of Agnes Wanjiru and we remain absolutely committed to helping them secure justice. We understand that the Kenyan director of public prosecutions has determined that a British national should face trial in relation to the murder of Ms Wanjiru in 2012. This is subject to ongoing legal proceedings and we will not comment further at this stage.”
The case is due to be mentioned again in court in Kenya on 21 October. No date has yet been set for an extradition hearing or trial.
