Ex-British soldier to face Kenyan murder trial in 2012 case, extradition sought

A former British soldier has been pictured for the first time as he faces extradition to Kenya to stand trial for the 2012 murder of Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan mother who disappeared while socializing with British troops in Nanyuki.

Wanjiru was last seen alive on March 31, 2012, during a night out at the Lion’s Court hotel in Nanyuki, not far from a British Army base. Her body was later recovered from a septic tank at the hotel, with stab wounds and other injuries that led pathologists to conclude she had been murdered. The case prompted an inquest in 2018 which found that she had been killed by one or more British soldiers, though no charges were filed at the time.

In October 2023, a Kenyan court issued an arrest warrant for Robert James Purkiss, now 38, who served as a combat medic and infantryman in the British Army and who was linked to the case decades after the events. He was charged with murder at the High Court in Nairobi, and Judge Alexander Muteti said prosecutors had provided sufficient evidence to warrant his removal to Kenya for trial. Kenyan authorities are expected to begin extradition proceedings, a move that would mark a rare instance of a former British serviceman facing trial in Kenya for a death that occurred while he was deployed there.

Purkiss, a former member of the Duke of Lancaster Regiment, spent about a decade in uniform, including tours in Afghanistan. He now lives near Salisbury, England, working as a home computer support technician. During his career, he served at Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire and Tidworth Barracks in Wiltshire before moving to Weeton Barracks in Blackpool.

Esther Njoki, a spokesperson for Wanjiru’s family, welcomed the arrest warrant, saying the family had endured years of frustration and hoped the development would yield justice. The family, represented by Leigh Day in the United Kingdom, has pressed for accountability for what it says was a long-delayed response from authorities. "We have lived with the pain of Agnes’ death for over a decade," Njoki said. "We hope this marks the beginning of justice being done for our beloved Agnes."

The case has highlighted diplomatic and legal sensitivities between Kenya and Britain over jurisdiction in crimes involving British troops abroad. Britain has previously said it does not accept Kenyan jurisdiction over such cases, and London has emphasized that any action would proceed under applicable legal channels. A UK government spokesperson noted that the Kenyan Director of Public Prosecutions had determined that a British national should face trial in relation to the 2012 murder and that ongoing procedures would determine the next steps.

Official attention to the Wanjiru case has grown in recent months. Defence Secretary John Healey met with members of the family earlier this year to stress the need to accelerate progress, while Kenyan prosecutors have assembled a team of senior prosecutors to review the case, according to authorities familiar with the matter. The ODPP has indicated it would pursue formal extradition if supported by the Kenyan judiciary and international law.

The ongoing process underscores a broader debate about accountability for foreign-based incidents involving military personnel and the extent to which jurisdictions can or should assert legal authority in such cases. The British Army Training Unit in Kenya has been a long-standing presence in the area and has faced scrutiny over past misconduct allegations, though officials stress that the vast majority of personnel serve professionally.