United Kingdom Defence Secretary John Healey on Monday met the family of Agnes Wanjiru, the Kenyan woman who was allegedly murdered by a British soldier in Nanyuki in 2012.
Wanjiru’s body was discovered in a hotel septic tank nearly two months after she went missing following a night out with British soldiers stationed in the area.
Speaking after the meeting in Nairobi, Healey assured the family of the UK Government’s full support in the ongoing investigations.
“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 and of the Provost Marshal (Serious Crime) to Kenya,” he said.
The Defence Secretary is expected to meet President William Ruto later today, where the Wanjiru case is among the key matters on the agenda.
Healey reiterated his government’s commitment to helping the family find closure. “Our Government will continue to do everything we can to help the family secure the justice they deserve,” he added.
Wanjiru’s family welcomed the meeting with hope that it could finally lead to justice, 13 years after her death.
“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,” said the family. They also said they have endured years of pain and empty promises, but remain hopeful that action will now follow.
“We hope that our meeting with the Secretary of State marks the beginning of the UK Government and Ministry of Defence taking decisive action to ensure that what happened to Agnes is properly investigated in Kenya and in the UK—and to make sure it never happens again,” the family said.
The renewed efforts come just days after Laikipia Woman Representative Jane Kagiri gave an update on the case during a televised interview.
She revealed that the National Assembly Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations was reviewing the matter before Kenya signs a new Defence Cooperation Agreement 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,” Kagiri said.
She explained that the committee had visited Laikipia for public consultations and met Wanjiru’s family before making that decision.
Kagiri also said that Parliament now holds the power to approve the new defence deal, and MPs have insisted that the Wanjiru case be resolved first.
“The beauty about this case is that the Defence Cooperation Agreement is actually approved in Parliament, so this time round we have put in a demand as Members of Parliament that the Agnes Wanjiru case must first be resolved for us to allow that cooperation to continue.”
While acknowledging the economic benefits of the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) in Nanyuki, Kagiri emphasized that justice and dignity for Kenyans must come first. She also raised concerns about the rising number of children fathered by British soldiers and later abandoned in the region.
“We cannot allow anybody to come from outside the country and treat our people just the way they want,” she declared, expressing optimism that the new approach could finally lead to justice.
Although UK authorities have previously stated the case would be handled under their jurisdiction, Kagiri said Parliament is pushing for the suspect to be repatriated and charged in Kenya, where the crime occurred.
She noted that during Parliamentary debate on the defence deal, 60 per cent of contributions referenced the Wanjiru case.
The case gained international attention in 2021 when the UK’s Sunday Times reported that four British soldiers had claimed one of their colleagues confessed to killing Agnes Wanjiru and dumping her body in a septic tank in Nanyuki.
Email your news TIPS to Editor@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254707482874
