Murdered Kenyan’s family angry over UK extradition delay
Agnes Wanjiru, 21, died in 2012 after partying with British soldiers at a hotel in Nanyuki and her body was found in a septic tank.
The family of Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan woman allegedly killed by a British soldier, is outraged over the ongoing delay in her murderer's extradition case. Wanjiru's body was discovered in a septic tank in Nanyuki, Kenya, in 2012 following a night of partying with British soldiers at a hotel. Robert James Purkiss, 39, was apprehended in Britain last year and was originally scheduled to face extradition proceedings on November 16.
However, the hearing has been pushed back yet again, this time to May 24, 2027, a fact which came as a massive blow to Wanjiru's family. Her sister, Esther Muchiri, expressed her shock, stating that it has been 15 years since they began waiting for the case to be heard. Muchiri emphasized that this delay is not the trial itself, but rather the extradition process, which could take even longer - potentially more than two decades.
She vowed that her family will continue fighting, regardless of the number of obstacles they face. The Kenyan police reopened the investigation in 2021 following revelations that a soldier had confessed to killing Wanjiru and shown her body to comrades. Despite military superiors knowing about the murder, no further action was taken.
Purkiss, who served as a medic in the British Army including in Afghanistan, is currently being provided legal representation by the army. The British military presence in Kenya, established in 1963, has faced criticism over allegations of misconduct and civilian harm, including unexploded ordnance. Amnesty International reported in 2003 that there were 650 documented allegations of rape by British soldiers in Kenya over a period of decades.
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