The British government is yet to meet the family of the 21-year-old murdered woman in Nanyuki town almost two weeks after a UK-based paper reported the confession of its soldier.
The UK’s Armed Forces minister James Heappey on Wednesday admitted that his country is also yet to issue a message of condolence to the family of Agnes Wanjiru who was allegedly killed by British soldiers in 2012.
Addressing the media at the British Army Training Unit in Kenya on Wednesday in Nanyuki town after meeting business and community members, Heappey could not explain the criteria used to pick the representatives leaving behind Wanjiru’s family members.
“My colleagues here in Batuk arranged the attendance for meeting and I am confident they represented a good cross-section of the community,” Heappey said at Nyati Barracks.
The minister noted that though there was an active investigation over the murder of Wanjiru, the secretary of state, the chief of general staff and other agencies were committed to ensure there will be no further delay.
He said one of the suspects in the murder no longer serves in the British Armed Forces.
Heappey said that the British civilian police are also involved in the investigation and are aware of the importance of making sure there were no further delays.
The minster, who was accompanied by UK ambassador to Kenya Jane Marrion, said his country is committed to ensure justice is served.
Asked about the threats by Kenya’s Parliament to refuse to renew the military pact between the two countries, he said it is sovereign but doing so would cause a lot of problems in terms of local employment and economy.
“I would need to tell my parliamentary colleagues here in Kenya to listen to the business people here in Nanyuki who see the value in Batuk and value of our training here.”
On Monday, Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi said the region would rather forgo those economic and job opportunities supposedly created by Batuk rather than people lose their lives through murder.
Muriithi said that it is the number one responsibility of any government to protect the lives of its people, shying off of telling what action might be taken.
“No defence pact would give foreign soldiers license to kill local citizens and anyone negotiating such an agreement is ill advised,” he said.
British High Commission said in a statement sent to newsrooms that Kenya is the UK’s security partner of choice in East Africa, and have a long history of working together to promote both security and justice.
“The tragic murder of Agnes Wanjiru is no different. I offered the UK’s full co-operation with the Kenyan enquiry to both CS Eugene Wamalwa and the local community representatives I met with in Nanyuki," the statement said.
"We will leave no stone unturned as we provide our full support to the investigation."
(edited by Amol Awuor)
