The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has completed investigations into the death of Agnes Wanjiru, the Kenyan woman allegedly murdered by a British soldier in Nanyuki in 2012, and forwarded the file to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for further action.
In a statement on Monday, April 7, the DPP confirmed receiving the inquiry file from DCI and said a team of senior prosecutors had been formed to review it thoroughly.
“The DPP wishes to inform the general public that, following the conclusion of investigations into the tragic death of Agnes Wanjiru, the DCI has submitted the police inquiry file for review and legal advice,” the statement read.
The DPP acknowledged the long wait for justice and promised transparency. “The DPP acknowledges the significant time that has elapsed in this matter and remains fully committed to ensuring justice for the family of Agnes Wanjiru. The public will be informed of any developments as the case progresses,” it added.
The DPP also assured the family that any decision on charges would be guided by the Constitution, the Decision to Charge Guidelines, and relevant laws.
Meanwhile, United Kingdom Defence Secretary John Healey met with Wanjiru’s family in Nairobi on the same day. He assured them of the UK Government’s continued support in the ongoing investigation.
“We will continue to offer our full support to the Kenyan investigatory authorities, which has included visits by Kenyan investigators to the UK to interview witnesses,” Healey said.
He is expected to meet President William Ruto later, where the case will be among the key agenda items.
Wanjiru’s body was discovered in a hotel septic tank in Nanyuki, nearly two months after she went missing following a night out with British soldiers stationed in the area. A Kenyan inquest in 2019 concluded that she was murdered by a British soldier.
Her family welcomed the meeting with the Defence Secretary, saying it gave them hope after years of pain and broken promises.
“It is now more than 13 years since Agnes was killed and almost 6 years since a Kenyan inquest found that she had been murdered by British soldiers, yet so little progress appears to have been made since then,” the family said.
They expressed hope that the UK Government and Ministry of Defence would now take decisive action to ensure justice is done—both in Kenya and in the UK.
Renewed pressure to resolve the case follows remarks by Laikipia Woman Representative Jane Kagiri, who said the National Assembly Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations was reviewing the matter before approving a new Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the UK.
“We, as the leaders of Laikipia, had demanded from the committee that they have to bring this case as one of the requirements before signing the new Defence Cooperation Agreement,” she said during a recent interview.
Kagiri noted that Parliament has the final say on the deal, and MPs have insisted the Wanjiru case must be resolved before it is passed.
She added that while the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) provides economic benefits to the region, justice for local communities must come first. She also raised concerns about an increasing number of children reportedly fathered and abandoned by British soldiers.
“We cannot allow anybody to come from outside the country and treat our people just the way they want,” she said, adding that Parliament is pushing for the suspect to be extradited and tried in Kenya.
The case attracted international attention in 2021 after The Sunday Times in the UK reported that four British soldiers claimed one of their colleagues had confessed to the killing.
