The High Court has issued a warrant of arrest for a British military officer accused of killing Agnes Wanjiru Wanjiku.
The orders were issued by Judge Alexander Muteti, with the identity of the military officer, who was part of the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), still unknown over a decade after the murder. Despite the lack of information surrounding his identity, the British government previously assured Wanjiku's family that it would provide the identity of the accused soldier.
At the same time, Muteti slated the mention of the case on October 21, 2025, to confirm compliance.
The judge issued the warrant after the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), representing the Republic, informed the court that the suspect had been formally charged with the offence of murder but failed to attend court.
The arrest warrant is set to pave the way for the soldier’s extradition from the United Kingdom, with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions set to play a key role.
Wanjiku's Murder
Wanjiku, then 21, went missing in 2012 after she was last seen in the company of British soldiers in a hotel near the BATUK military base.
A two-month search for her resulted in her body being found stuffed in a septic tank in the grounds of the hotel. Wanjiku was found with multiple stab wounds, indicating a possible murder.
Later in 2019, a Kenyan inquest found that Wanjiku had been murdered by one or several soldiers.
Two years later, a group of soldiers drawn from the Duke of Lancaster's regiment came forward to name a suspect. According to reports, one of the soldiers offered damning evidence where he revealed that the suspect had led him to where he had dumped Wanjiku’s body, confessing to the murder.
Wanjiku's case got a significant breakthrough after the UK's Defence Secretary, John Healey, visited the deceased's family in April this year, assuring them that justice would prevail in the case. Further, Healey, during the visit to Wanjiru's family, revealed plans to bring the matter to President William Ruto.
“In my meeting with President Ruto later today, I will emphasise the need to accelerate progress in this case. Our government will continue to do everything we can to help the family secure the justice they deserve," Healey said.
In 2024, the British Army announced plans to launch an inquiry into the behaviour of British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) after a documentary exposed cases of abuse from soldiers on Kenyan women, including children as young as 13 years.
