A Kenyan court has issued an arrest warrant and requested the extradition of a British citizen over the murder of a 21-year-old woman near a UK army training camp in Kenya over a decade ago.
Nairobi High Court Justice Alexander Muteti announced on Tuesday that there was “probable cause to order the arrest of the accused” and issued a warrant for “one citizen and resident of the United Kingdom.”
The case has strained relations between the two countries, which have argued over the jurisdiction to prosecute British soldiers in Kenya.
In 2012, Agnes Wanjiru was discovered in a septic tank at the Lion’s Court Hotel in central Nanyuki after she was last seen at the hotel with a group of British soldiers.
Wanjiru, the single mother of a then four-month-old baby, was beaten, stabbed and most likely still alive when she was thrown into the septic tank, a Kenyan magistrate said in a 2019 inquest.
After Muteti’s decision, the Office for the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) wrote on X that “extradition proceedings would now be initiated to ensure the suspect is brought before a Kenyan court”.
“The matter will return to court on 21st October 2025, for further directions,” the ODPP said.
Wanjiru’s sister, Rose Wanyua Wanjiku, 52, welcomed the ruling and said, “Let justice prevail.”
“As a family, we are very happy because it has been many years, but now we can see a step has been made,” she told the AFP news agency.
Wanjiru’s niece, Esther Njoki, also told the Reuters news agency that while she welcomed the news, it took too long.
“We are grateful to see the Kenyan government has acted, although it has taken too long and kept the family in darkness,” Njoki said.
A spokesperson for the British government acknowledged that the ODPP had “determined that a British National should face trial in relation to the murder of Ms Wanjiru in 2012”.
The spokesperson added that the government remains “absolutely committed” to helping Kenya “secure justice”.
