A former British soldier wanted in Kenya to
face charges of killing Agnes Wanjiru has been detained by the UK authorities
pending hearing of extradition proceedings against him.
Robert Purkiss was arrested on November 6 in the United Kingdom. He is accused of murdering Wanjiru, 21, near the British army training camp in Nanyuki in 2012.
Purkiss “vigorously denies” any involvement in Wanjiru’s death, his lawyers told a UK court on Monday, insisting he should be granted bail because “there is no logical basis for saying that this man will run away”.
However, Justice Paul Goldspring declined the bail application and ordered that Purkiss be remanded pending his extradition hearing next month.
In Nairobi, Kenya’s Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions told High Court judge Alexander Muteti that they were hopeful the suspect will be extradited to Kenya to face the murder charges.
Senior assistant director of public prosecutions Gikui Gichuhi said Purkiss had already been arrested and that Kenyan immigration authorities are awaiting the outcome of the extradition hearings in the UK to know when the suspect can be flown to Kenya to face charges.
Gichuhi said the hearings are scheduled for December 9 in London.
“In that case, this court will grant a mention on December 16 so that it can be updated on the outcome of the extradition proceedings,” Justice Muteti said.
Lawyers representing Wanjiru’s family said they were appreciative of the work being done by the Kenya government and its cooperation with the UK authorities.
Purkiss, 38, was arrested by specialist officers from the UK's National Extradition Unit after a warrant was issued against him in September.
Wanjiru's body was discovered in a septic tank near a hotel in Nanyuki, Laikipia County, some three months after she had gone missing on March 31, 2012. She had a five-month-old baby at the time.
Her body was found near a British army training camp. On the night she was killed, she had reportedly been at a bar with friends where British soldiers were also present.
Wanjiru's niece, Esther Njoki, met the UK's defence minister last month to push for Purkiss's extradition.
"My family is incredibly relieved to hear that the suspect in my aunt's case has been arrested,” Njoki later said in a statement issued through Leigh Day, the lawyers acting for Wanjiru's family.
“We have waited so many years for this moment, which marks an important step towards finally obtaining justice for our beloved Agnes."
Leigh Day partner Tessa Gregory said, "This is a huge moment for our client and her family who have been fighting for over a decade to obtain justice for Agnes.
"We hope the UK and Kenyan authorities will now work together to ensure the suspect can face trial in Kenya as quickly as possible."
Wanjiru's family has long accused the British army of covering up her death and the Kenyan authorities of failing to properly investigate the case at the time.
An inquest into her death was opened in 2018 following pressure from the family, as well as local human rights groups and feminists.
In 2019, it concluded that Wanjiru had been unlawfully killed by one or two British soldiers and that she had suffered stab wounds to the chest and abdomen.
Later in 2021, a Sunday Times investigation reported that a British soldier had confessed to colleagues that he killed Wanjiru. The soldier left the army after the incident and reportedly continued to live in the UK.
In 2024, the UK army announced it was launching an internal review into the conduct of British soldiers in Kenya, including in Nanyuki.
It found 35 suspected cases of soldiers having engaged in sexual exploitation and abuse, including transactional sex, with local women— nine of these being after the army officially banned such conduct in 2022.
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