kenya-issues-arrest-warrant-for-uk-soldier

Kenya’s High Court has issued an arrest warrant for a British soldier accused of killing Kenyan woman Agnes Wanjiru, paving the way for his extradition from the United Kingdom.

 

Justice Alexander Muteti authorised the warrant on Tuesday following an application by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who said the suspect is currently in the UK and must be brought to Nairobi to stand trial. The court did not disclose the soldier’s name.

 

“Following an application by DPP against the said suspect, this court grants the warrant of arrest as prayed,” Muteti said, as reported by local media.

 

Agnes Wanjiru, 21, was killed in 2012. Her mutilated body was discovered in a hotel septic tank near the British Army Training Unit Kenya’s (BATUK) permanent garrison in Nanyuki. Wanjiru had been missing for several weeks after reportedly spending a night partying with British soldiers.

 

A Kenyan inquiry in 2019 found British soldiers responsible for her death and recommended further investigation. In 2021, a British soldier reportedly confessed, but prosecutors had not filed charges until now.

 

In November 2023, BATUK asked the Kenyan High Court to dismiss the lawsuit filed by Wanjiru’s family, arguing that the tribunal lacked jurisdiction.

 

The question of jurisdiction over British soldiers accused of violating Kenyan law has long caused tension between London and Nairobi. Other incidents, including alleged environmental breaches by BATUK, have also sparked local protests.

 

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Mbiyu Kamau, the Wanjiru family’s lawyer, told that London had “not been cooperative,” accusing senior military officers of covering up the case and flying the suspect out of Kenya rather than handing him over to authorities. Kamau added that the arrest warrant was issued “in a hideous way, without involving the family.”

 

Kamau earlier argued that the British Army’s claim of immunity from prosecution in Kenya is false. He said Kenyan courts have jurisdiction since the crime occurred there, adding that “they [the British Army] are just playing around by claiming immunity.”

 

Thirteen years after the murder, UK Defence Secretary John Healey met the family of Agnes Wanjiru for the first time during a visit to Kenya in April. He confirmed that the case file had been handed to the DPP.

 

The case is scheduled for mention on October 21, 2025.