A Kenyan court has issued an arrest order for a British citizen accused of killing Agnes Wanjiru, whose body was discovered in a septic tank near a British army training site in Nanyuki in 2012.
The 21-year-old woman was last seen leaving a bar with British soldiers before her disappearance. Nearly 13 years later, the Nairobi court ruled on Monday that the suspect, currently in the U.K., should be taken into custody. Prosecutors said they are now preparing a formal extradition request.
Unusually, the court directed that the suspect’s name not be made public, despite the fact that in Kenya murder suspects are typically identified.
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The decision has renewed focus on the long-delayed case. Wanjiru’s relatives said they have waited far too long for accountability. “While this is progress, it is not justice yet,” family spokesperson Esther Muchiri told The Associated Press. She also criticized the secrecy surrounding the suspect’s identity, asking, “After 13 years why are they still hiding his identity?”
Earlier this year, U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey met with Wanjiru’s family and promised to “help the family secure the justice they deserve.” The British High Commission in Nairobi repeated that pledge on Tuesday but would not confirm if an extradition request had been filed.
Wanjiru’s daughter, only five months old at the time of her mother’s death, has since been raised by her grandmother and aunt.
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Britain maintains about 200 troops in Kenya, who train over 1,000 local soldiers annually for operations against al-Shabab in Somalia. The U.K. invests more than 1.1 billion Kenyan shillings ($9.6 million) each year into the partnership, though locals have long voiced concerns about misconduct and environmental damage linked to the training camps.
