Kenya issues arrest warrant for British national in Agnes Wanjiru case; extradition could mark first for British soldier
A Kenyan court's warrant underscores long-running calls for accountability over the killing of a 21-year-old mother in Nanyuki, as the possibility of cross-border prosecution grows.
A Kenyan High Court has issued an arrest warrant for a British national suspected of murdering Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old woman who disappeared in 2012 in Nanyuki, near a British Army training base. If the suspect is extradited, it would be the first time a serving or former British soldier is sent abroad to stand trial for the killing of a civilian. The warrant comes after years of appeals for justice from Wanjiru’s family and friends, and amid heightened scrutiny of how the British military presence in Kenya has been investigated and disciplined.
On the night Agnes went missing, March 31, 2012, she and two friends went out in central Kenya. According to accounts from those friends, she briefly mingled with several white men at Sherlock’s bar and at Lions Court Hotel, where a crowd of foreign troops was a familiar sight due to the British Army base nearby. Agnes, who had recently become a mother, was struggling financially and sometimes accepted hospitality in exchange for money, her friends say, though they do not allege she was a sex worker. The following morning she had not returned, and by mid-April her family reported her missing to authorities. Agnes’s body was recovered nearly three months later from a septic tank behind the hotel, with her wounds indicating stabbing.
A Kenyan inquest in 2019 concluded that Agnes had been murdered by one or two British soldiers. The finding amplified long-standing suspicions about accountability for military personnel stationed in Kenya, where the presence of a permanent training base has shaped local perceptions of the security environment. The Sunday Times earlier reported that the soldier believed to be implicated had been struck off the army, though he reportedly remained free in the United Kingdom. Open reporting over the years highlighted concerns about discipline and the treatment of Kenyan women by some troops, and prompted renewed calls for justice from Agnes’s relatives.
Momentum for accountability resurfaced in 2024 after Open Democracy revealed that British Army troops in Kenya had faced accusations of paying for sex despite a 2022 ban against such conduct. That reporting prompted an internal investigation in August 2025, which found that some soldiers at the base continued engaging in transactional sex with women who were vulnerable or coerced. In April this year, United Kingdom Defence Secretary John Healey traveled to Kenya to meet Agnes’s family and pledge ongoing cooperation to secure justice. The British government later said it would continue to assist in the case and pursue all legal avenues. UK officials also engaged with Agnes’s relatives through the British High Commission in Nairobi, including meetings with Esther Njoki, Agnes’s sister, who has spearheaded fundraising to support the family’s push for answers.
On September 16, a Kenyan High Court issued an arrest warrant for the British national suspected of killing Agnes Wanjiru. If extradited, it would be a landmark development in the long-running case and could set a precedent for cross-border prosecutions involving British military personnel. Legal observers stressed that any extradition would hinge on bilateral negotiations and complex judicial processes, including safeguarding rights and ensuring fair trial standards in both jurisdictions.
Kelvin Kubai, a lawyer at the African Centre for Corrective and Preventive Action, welcomed the warrant as an important step toward accountability but cautioned that the road to extradition is likely to be long and technically complex. He noted that extradition jurisprudence in such cases would require rigorous evidence, cooperation from multiple agencies, and adherence to due process to avoid further delays.
Agnes’s niece, Esther Njoki, has launched a GoFundMe campaign to support travel for family members to the United Kingdom and to raise awareness about the case. In interviews with relatives, friends describe the ongoing desire for closure and a determination that the tragedy not be forgotten. One friend said the family has waited too long for answers and justice, and urged the British Army to cooperate fully with Kenyan authorities so that Agnes’s daughter can grow up with a sense of justice and stability.
The BBC has asked the UK Ministry of Defence for comment and awaits a response. The question now is whether the arrest warrant translates into a formal extradition request, and whether the British government will cooperate to bring forward a trial. The case has renewed international focus on how foreign troops are investigated and disciplined in host countries and whether victims receive timely justice when crimes involve military personnel abroad.
