Kenya issued an arrest warrant in September and formally requested the extradition of the British citizen over the killing of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru near the Lion’s Court Hotel in Nanyuki. Wanjiru was last seen with a group of British soldiers before her body was discovered in a septic tank at the hotel.
A Kenyan magistrate concluded in a 2019 inquest that Wanjiru had been murdered by soldiers, prompting Kenya’s extradition request this year.
Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed the suspect, 38-year-old Robert James Purkiss, was arrested on Thursday by specialist officers. “Robert James Purkiss appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court today for extradition proceedings to begin,” the NCA said. He was remanded in custody until his next hearing on November 14.
The case has drawn outrage in Kenya, with Wanjiru’s family and rights groups claiming the killers were shielded by a defence cooperation agreement that complicates prosecution of British soldiers training in the country.
Wanjiru, a single mother of a four-month-old baby at the time, was reportedly beaten and stabbed and likely still alive when thrown into the septic tank, according to the 2019 inquest.
A British government spokesman told Reuters on Friday that it was “inappropriate to comment while there are ongoing legal proceedings.” The Ministry of Defence said in September it remained committed to helping Wanjiru’s family secure justice.