A former British soldier wanted by Kenyan authorities over the 2012 killing of 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday after his arrest in London.
Kenya issued an arrest warrant in September and formally requested the extradition of a British national in connection with Wanjiru’s death near a UK Army training camp in Nanyuki. Wanjiru was found in a septic tank at the Lion’s Court Hotel in 2012, having last been seen there with a group of British soldiers. A 2019 Kenyan inquest concluded she was murdered by British soldiers.
Britain’s National Crime Agency said specialist officers detained former soldier Robert James Purkiss, 38, on Thursday under the warrant. Extradition proceedings began on Friday; he was remanded in custody and is due back at the same court on Nov. 14, the NCA said.
The slow pace of the case has fueled anger in Kenya, where Wanjiru’s family and rights groups argue offenders have been shielded by a defence cooperation framework governing British troops training in the country. The 2019 inquest found Wanjiru — a single mother to a four-month-old baby — was beaten and stabbed and likely still alive when thrown into the septic tank.
Asked about the case, a UK government spokesperson said it would be inappropriate to comment during ongoing legal proceedings. The Ministry of Defence said in September it remained committed to helping Wanjiru’s family secure justice.