LONDON, Nov 24 (Reuters) – A former British soldier wanted in Kenya over the murder of a woman near a British army training camp more than a dozen years ago was refused bail on Monday pending extradition proceedings.
Robert Purkiss is accused of murdering 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru near the army training camp in 2012, with Kenyan authorities issuing a warrant for his arrest in September.
Purkiss, who was arrested this month and has been in custody since, “vigorously denies” any involvement in Wanjiru’s death, his lawyers told Westminster Magistrates’ Court.
Lawyers representing the Kenyan authorities say Purkiss’ fellow soldiers allege he confessed to the crime on the night of Wanjiru’s killing and shortly after.
Wanjiru’s murder has strained relations between Britain and Kenya, where her family and rights groups say the killers were being shielded by a defence cooperation agreement that complicates prosecution of British soldiers training in Kenya.
Britain’s Ministry of Defence said in September it remained committed to helping Wanjiru’s family secure justice.
EX-SOLDIER WANTED OVER 2012 MURDER
Wanjiru’s body was found in a septic tank at the Lion’s Court Hotel in the Kenyan town of Nanyuki in June 2012. Wanjir had last been seen with a group of British soldiers on the night of March 31 and April 1, 2012.
Joel Smith, a lawyer representing Kenyan prosecutors, said Wanjiru had gone to the hotel with two friends, leaving her baby daughter to be cared for by a friend.
“At about two o’clock in the morning, Ms Wanjiru left with one of the soldiers and as she left (told her friends) she was going to hustle for her daughter,” Smith told the court. “She was never seen alive again.”
Smith added that Purkiss had shown one soldier the septic tank Wanjiru’s body was later found in and later told another soldier he killed Wanjiru after “sex that went wrong”.
Purkiss’ lawyer David Josse said that “there is no logical basis for saying that this man will run away”.
But Judge Paul Goldspring remanded Purkiss in custody until a hearing next month. Purkiss nodded towards his wife and brother in the public gallery as he was led back to the cells.
Thirteen years after young mother’s body was found in septic tank, Kenya issues arrest warrant for former Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment medic
After more than a decade of delays, cover-ups and bureaucratic failures, the British ex-soldier accused of murdering 21-year-old Kenyan mother Agnes Wanjiru can finally be named: Robert James Purkiss.
The 38-year-old father of two from Greater Manchester, who now works as a computer support technician near Salisbury, faces extradition to Kenya following a Kenyan High Court arrest warrant issued last week. Justice Alexander Muasya Muteti ruled there was “probable cause to order the arrest of the accused and his surrender before this court for trial.”
The case represents one of the most damning indictments of British military culture in recent memory, revealing a systematic cover-up that allowed an alleged killer to escape justice while destroying the life of the whistleblower who tried to expose the truth.
The Night That Changed Everything
On March 31, 2012, Agnes Wanjiru was celebrating recent achievements.
The young hairdresser had just qualified in her profession and harbored dreams of opening her own salon to support her five-month-old daughter, Stacey.
Despite living in poverty in a makeshift dwelling outside Nanyuki, she remained optimistic about the future.
That evening, Wanjiru joined friends at the Lions Court Hotel, a popular venue with British soldiers from the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment who were enjoying rest and relaxation after weeks of battlefield training exercises.
The soldiers were due to return to the UK the following day.
Witnesses saw Wanjiru leaving the bar area with a British soldier, walking toward the hotel rooms. She was never seen alive again.
Two months later, on June 5, 2012, hotel gardener John Gichuki Ndirangu discovered her decomposed body in a septic tank on the hotel grounds exactly where a British soldier had claimed to have seen it hours after the murder allegedly occurred.
The Confession That Was Buried
The most shocking aspect of this case is not just the alleged murder, but the systematic suppression of evidence that followed.
According to witness testimony gathered over years of investigation, the crime was reported to military authorities within hours of occurring yet nothing was done.
Multiple soldiers have now come forward to describe how Purkiss (previously referred to as “Soldier X” in investigations) allegedly confessed to the killing. The key witness, known as “Soldier Y,” has provided a detailed account of events that night.
“I were in the pub and he come in crying, saying, ‘Help me, help me,’” Soldier Y told investigators. “I said, ‘Why, what do you mean?’ ‘I’ve killed her,’ he said. ‘Show me.’”
According to this account, Purkiss led Soldier Y and two others to the septic tank where Wanjiru’s body lay. “She was in the tank when I seen her,” Soldier Y recalled. “He took me to the tank and lifted it up and I looked in and I just remember seeing her in there and my heart sank.”
The Military’s Response: Silence and Threats
What happened next reveals the depths of institutional failure within the British Army.
When Soldier Y reported the confession to military police upon returning to base, he was dismissed as unreliable. Officers allegedly told soldiers to “keep quiet” about the murder allegations or face being detained in Kenya.
The regiment flew back to the UK the following day, just as Wanjiru’s friends began searching for her missing companion.
A section commander from the regiment has confirmed that rumors about the killing spread rapidly through the ranks.
“The rumour was flying around. ‘Did you hear the rumour about [Soldier X] killing a brass [prostitute]? Apparently he killed a brass and threw her in a septic tank,’” the commander recalled.
Purkiss served in the British Army from 2006 to 2016
Disturbingly, soldiers describe how the murder became “a running joke” at Weeton Barracks in Lancashire, with one officer allegedly joking with Purkiss: “No strangling anyone,” as he left for a night out.
The Whistleblower’s Destruction
The treatment of Soldier Y represents perhaps the most damning aspect of this entire affair.
A decorated veteran with multiple tours in Afghanistan, he faced ostracization, threats, and professional ruin for attempting to expose the truth.
After being labeled a “snitch” by fellow soldiers, Soldier Y’s life spiraled into chaos.
He was discharged from the army, lost his home and family, and turned to drugs to cope with the psychological trauma.
The man who had served his country with distinction ended up with a criminal record and is currently serving a prison sentence for shoplifting.
“He always blames himself. He never thought he did enough,” his mother said. “My son did. He is a hero. But look where heroes end up. On the streets.”
Institutional Failure at Every Level
When Wanjiru’s body was discovered in June 2012, Kenyan police immediately contacted British military authorities.
The Royal Military Police provided basic information about nine soldiers whose names appeared on hotel registers but failed to mention that the murder had been reported by their own personnel within hours of occurring.
Crucially, neither Purkiss nor Soldier Y were among the nine names initially provided, despite both being present at the hotel that night.
This omission appears deliberate rather than accidental.
Military correspondence shows the RMP offered continued cooperation with Kenyan authorities, yet they withheld the most crucial evidence—the confession and witness testimony from their own soldiers.
The Long Road to Justice
The case remained dormant until 2018, when an inquest finally opened in Kenya.
Judge Njeri Thuku was scathing in her assessment, ruling that British soldiers held the key to Wanjiru’s death. Her findings prompted a new criminal investigation by Kenya’s Directorate of Criminal Investigations in 2019.
Mbiyu Kamau, representing the family, follows a 2023 court hearing remotely with Rose Wanyua, Stacy Wanjiru and Esther Njoki LUIS TATO/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
The Sunday Times investigation, which began in 2021, proved instrumental in bringing this case back to public attention.
Through persistent journalism, the newspaper uncovered the military documents and witness testimonies that revealed the extent of the cover-up.
The investigation led to significant policy changes, including the Ministry of Defence introducing zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse in the armed forces, and banning soldiers from paying for sex overseas for the first time in British Army history.
Political Intervention and New Hope
The case gained renewed momentum when John Healey became Defence Secretary in the current Labour government.
Unlike his predecessors, Healey met with Wanjiru’s family at the British High Commission in Nairobi earlier this year, signaling the UK’s commitment to pursuing justice.
“We are happy that finally, after a long wait and frustration, the government has begun to act, although it has taken a long time,” said Esther Njoki, the family spokeswoman. “We have a ray of hope that now the family will be served justice.”
The Accused: Robert James Purkiss
Purkiss served in the British Army from 2006 to 2016, working as a combat medic and infantryman.
He completed multiple tours in Afghanistan and was stationed at various bases including Catterick garrison in North Yorkshire and Tidworth barracks in Wiltshire before joining the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment at Weeton barracks in Blackpool.
Purkiss was stationed in Kenya FACEBOOK
After leaving the military, he settled near Salisbury where he now works as a home computer support technician.
The father of two has maintained a low profile, but former soldiers have recently been openly naming him on social media as Wanjiru’s alleged killer.
Legal Challenges Ahead
The Kenyan government must now formally request Purkiss’s extradition through the Home Office, which will trigger a hearing at Westminster magistrates’ court. Legal experts suggest the evidence, particularly Soldier Y’s witness testimony, could be compelling in any future trial.
“A witness has been shown the body by the killer,” said criminal lawyer Joseph Kotrie-Monson. “That is compelling evidence for any jury.”
However, the extradition process could prove lengthy and complex, requiring careful navigation of international legal frameworks.
A Legacy of Betrayal
The Agnes Wanjiru case has exposed fundamental flaws in military justice and accountability.
It demonstrates how institutional loyalty can override moral duty, how whistleblowers face destruction for telling the truth, and how bureaucratic inertia can deny justice to the most vulnerable.
For Agnes Wanjiru’s daughter, Stacey, now 13 years old, the identification of her mother’s alleged killer offers hope for answers she has waited her entire life to receive.
But it cannot undo the years of pain caused by a system that chose silence over justice.
As Dr. Iain Overton of Action on Armed Violence observed: “This is not just a failure of individual soldiers, but a systemic collapse in accountability. The British military’s refusal to address this heinous crime for over a decade reflects an institution that places its own reputation above the pursuit of justice.”
Wanjiru was killed in 2012
What Happens Next
Kenya’s extradition request will now be processed by UK authorities. If successful, Purkiss will face trial in Nairobi for the murder of Agnes Wanjiru—13 years after her death and over a decade since the British Army first learned of the allegations against him.
The case serves as a stark reminder that justice delayed is justice denied, and that the most powerful institutions are not above the law.
For Agnes Wanjiru’s family, the long wait for answers may finally be coming to an end.
A UK government spokesperson said: “Our thoughts remain with the family of Agnes Wanjiru and we remain absolutely committed to helping them secure justice. We understand that the Kenyan director of public prosecutions has determined that a British national should face trial in relation to the murder of Ms Wanjiru in 2012.”
The story of Agnes Wanjiru—young mother, aspiring entrepreneur, victim of alleged murder and institutional betrayal—will not be forgotten.
Her case has already changed British military policy and exposed the dark side of military culture.
Now, finally, it may also deliver the justice her family has sought for so long.
The long-delayed pursuit of justice for Agnes Wanjiru moved forward significantly this week when a Kenyan High Court issued an arrest warrant for a British national suspected of murdering the young mother over a decade ago.
The development represents a watershed moment in a case that has exposed both the complexities of international military cooperation and the persistent challenges faced by victims’ families seeking accountability.
On September 15, Justice Alexander Muteti granted the Director of Public Prosecutions’ application for an arrest warrant against the unnamed British citizen, ruling that murder constitutes an extraditable offense and that sufficient probable cause exists to institute formal charges.
The court documents specify that “on the night of March 31/ April 1, 2012, at Lions court lodge in Nanyuki within Laikipia county, you murdered Agnes Wanjiru Wanjiku.”
The case stems from the tragic death of Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old freelance hairdresser and mother to a four-month-old infant, who vanished after spending an evening at the Lions Court Lodge in Nanyuki.
She was last seen leaving the hotel with a British soldier from the Duke of Lancaster Regiment.
Two months later, her body was discovered in a septic tank 50 metres from the hotel room, with an autopsy report showing she had been stabbed multiple times.
The timing and location of Wanjiru’s death were particularly significant. Nanyuki hosts the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), a permanent garrison that has operated since colonial times.
The Lions Court Lodge, where Wanjiru was last seen alive, sits in close proximity to this military facility, making it a frequent gathering place for off-duty British soldiers.
What has made this case particularly troubling for Wanjiru’s family and human rights advocates is the alleged institutional response to her murder.
The British Army has been accused of maintaining a decade-long cover-up of the murder, with systemic failures within military accountability coming to light as new witnesses have emerged.
Despite a Kenyan inquest finding that Wanjiru had been “unlawfully killed” and the judge presiding finding that British soldiers had murdered her, no soldiers have been charged or convicted for the killing.
The diplomatic and legal complexities surrounding the case have created additional obstacles.
While the UK government has previously indicated its willingness to cooperate with extradition requests, the formal process has been slow to materialize.
As recently as 2024, UK officials revealed that Kenya was yet to formally request extradition of suspects, though they indicated the UK would comply with such requests.
The recent court ruling marks the first concrete legal step toward bringing the suspect to trial in Kenya. Prosecutors Vincent Monda and Gikui Gichuhi informed the court that despite extensive investigations, the suspect has remained abroad and has not presented himself to Kenyan authorities.
The arrest warrant now paves the way for formal extradition proceedings.
For Wanjiru’s family, the development comes after years of frustration and unfulfilled promises.
Earlier this year, UK Defence Secretary John Healey met with Wanjiru’s family during a visit to Kenya,but family members expressed that they had been subject to “too many empty promises” regarding investigations into her death.
The British Army’s presence in Kenya, formalized through training agreements, has been scrutinized following allegations of misconduct by personnel stationed at BATUK. Wanjiru’s murder became emblematic of concerns about military personnel operating with apparent impunity in host countries.
The legal proceedings will now move forward with extradition efforts, though the timeline remains uncertain. International extradition processes can be lengthy and complex, particularly when they involve military personnel and questions of jurisdiction.
The case returns to court on October 21, 2025, for further directions.
Agnes Wanjiru’s death occurred when she was building a life as a young entrepreneur and mother.
Her family’s thirteen-year quest for justice reflects broader challenges faced by families seeking accountability when alleged perpetrators are foreign nationals with institutional protection.
The arrest warrant represents not just a legal milestone, but a recognition that justice delayed should not mean justice denied.
As this case moves toward what may finally be its resolution in a Kenyan courtroom, it serves as a reminder of the human cost of impunity and the persistence required to hold powerful institutions accountable, regardless of the nationality or status of those involved.
Defence Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa has told parliament that British soldiers involved in the murder of Agnes Wanjiru in Nanyuki in 2012 will be extradited to Kenya to face murder charges.
Speaking Tuesday before the National Assembly Defence Committee, Wamalwa said the government is considering the issue as the highest priority.
The CS disclosed that they have agreed with the British Government to do a joint investigation and bring the culprits to the country to face justice.
He noted that once the prosecution is made, the UK government will ensure extradition happens.
His assurance came after members of the committee alleged high-level cover-up to defeat justice over the killing.
The legislators had threatened to shoot down the military cooperation agreement between Kenya and UK until British soldiers involved in the gruesome murder of Agnes Wanjiru are brought into the country to face the law.
Wanjiru was last seen by witnesses on the night of 31 March 2012 walking out of a Nanyuki bar accompanied by two British soldiers.
Her body was retrieved nearly three months later from a hotel’s septic tank in Nanyuki town.
The Kenyan government revived the case after a soldier accused of the murder was named by his comrades after he allegedly confessed to the killing.
At the beginning of this month, following an outcry after the shocking revelations, the Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai directed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to reopen the case.
“I have directed the DCI to re-open the case and compile all the available evidence and witness accounts and ensure the case is concluded before a court of law. I am also urging the UK government to collaborate with us to conclude the case and administer justice” said Mutyambai.
The UK government has already assured of its commitment to work with the local authorities to establish the facts surrounding the killing of the 21-year-old mother of one.
The family of a 21-year-old Kenyan woman said to have been murdered by a British soldier are taking legal action against the Ministry of Defence.
Relatives of Agnes Wanjiru, a single mother to a young baby, have instructed British legal firm Leigh Day to represent them in a bid to find answers to her death and why it has never been investigated in the UK.
Ms Wanjiru was found dead in a septic tank behind the Lions Court hotel in Nanyuki, central Kenya, close to a British Army training camp two months after she disappeared in March 2012.
The inquest into her death found she had been murdered by a British soldier.
Tessa Gregory, a partner at Leigh Day, told Sky News: “It just seems extraordinary that there are clear allegations that appear to have been well known that a 21-year-old woman in Kenya was brutally murdered by a British soldier whilst they were training in Kenya.
“And yet the family have no answers at all and the Royal Military Police here do not appear to have done a full investigation into the circumstances of the death.
“We have written to the Ministry of Defence to notify them that we’re instructed and to ask for all the details of the investigations they’ve carried out.
“What we want is for a proper independent investigation to be carried out into both the circumstances of Agnes’ death and also how it is that nine years later, nothing has been done to address this.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence said: “The jurisdiction for this investigation rests with the Kenyan police who we continue to work with on a daily basis to provide all possible support.
“This remains an active investigation with multiple lines of enquiry. In order to protect the investigation, and in the interests of justice we cannot comment further.”
Meanwhile, Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai has directed the DCI to re-open the case on the alleged murder of Agnes Wanjiru.
Mutyambai directed investigators to compile all the available evidence and witness accounts and ensure the case is concluded before a court of law.
“I have directed the DCI to re-open the case and compile all the available evidence and witness accounts and ensure the case is concluded before a court of law,” said Mutyambai.
He also called on authorities in the United Kingdom to collaborate with their Kenyan counterparts to conclude the case and administer justice.
The family of the late Agnes Wanjiru is agitating for justice and compensation after details emerged of how a British soldier in Nanyuki brutally murdered the 21-year-old mother of one.
Sunday Times, a UK publication detailed how the accused soldier confessed to fellow soldiers, with reports of cover-up of the murder by British Army bosses now emerging.
Wanjiru was brutally murdered back in 2012 when the daughter was just nine months old at the time.
An inquest into the murder of Agnes that concluded in November 2018 read in part: “I find it fit to close the inquest and, in my opinion, find that there was an offence as committed.”
The decision was delivered and signed by Njeri Thuku, a Principal Magistrate at the Nanyuki law courts.
The trail into the investigations of the murder has grown cold since then with the suspect yet to be brought to book.
Members of Parliament are contemplating thwarting the defense cooperation agreement between Kenya and the United Kingdom that was signed in June by President Uhuru Kenyatta and UK’s Prime Minster Boris Johnson.
The legislators in the National Assembly Defense committee said that until the British culprits in the murder of Agnes Wanjiru are prosecuted under the Kenyan laws, the military agreement will not be ratified.
Wanjiru, 21, was reportedly partying with soldiers one evening nine years ago at a hotel in Nanyuki, where the British army has a permanent garrison when she went missing before her body was discovered in a septic tank behind the hotel.
The Sunday Times reported last month that a British soldier confessed to killing Wanjiru and showed comrades where he dumped her body, and the crime was reported but dismissed by military officials. He was later flown back home.
In a committee sitting Tuesday, where Defense Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa was invited to update the legislators on the progress on the matter, the lawmakers insisted the military deal ratification stands halted until justice is served.
Wamalwa had told the MPs that the existing agreement between the two states had expired and there is an urgent need to ratify the new one.
“Because of the defense cooperation agreement it gives us jurisdiction to deal with this matter. The agreement has lapsed and it is in our national interest to have that cover legally so as to deal with any offences due to the jurisdiction given by that agreement including the murder case of Wanjiru,” said Wamalwa.
Yatta MP Charles Kilonzo lamented that for nine years the government has been giving assurances with no tangible action taken to ensure justice is served to the family of Wanjiru’s family.
Kilonzo stated that the delays by the governments goes to show that they might be covering up the culprits.
“It has been nine years of assurance. People want to see justice done. Then you (CS Wamalwa) tell us you are in a hurry we ratify the defense cooperation agreement yet you are not in a hurry to prosecute the culpable criminals,” Kilonzo said.
His counterpart from Mandera North Bashir Abdullah asserted that until concrete evidence is given to assure Kenyans that justice will be served for Agnes then the deal will be in limbo.
“We are looking at an agreement that has lapsed and now requires renewal unfortunately now when we are about to do renew this subject of Agnes Wanjiru comes up. Until we have concrete evidence to suggest the culprit will be brought to book under the Kenyan justice system, only then will we append our signature on the defense cooperation pact,” Bashir stated.
Wamalwa however, assured that the British Government has committed to cooperate in ensuring those who murdered Agnes face the law.
Addressing the committee, the CS said he held bilateral talks with British High Commissioner to Kenya Jane Mariott over the matter and they had showed goodwill in ensuring swift prosecution of the matter.
“I want to ensure you that on our side, we did engage the British government and we received high level commitment of cooperation. The British government is ready and willing to cooperate with Kenya to ensure that the culprits are investigated and brought to book,” Wamalwa said.
He assured the committee that the British Secretary in charge of the UK Armed Forces James Heappey who is in the country had promised to ensure culprits are brought back to Kenya to face justice.
“Everything will be done to ensure that justice is done in this matter,” Wamalwa said.
Wamalwa further rubbished claims that the Kenyan government was actively involved in ensuring that the matter is covered up to protect the bilateral ties with the British government.
He revealed that the government is working on invoking provisions of the defense cooperation agreement with the British to prosecute the soldiers involved.
“There is no such cover up, there might have been delays and that we own up. Indeed, justice has been delayed for Agnes Wanjiru but we must do all we can to ensure that justice is served,” he said.
If legislators shoot down the military cooperation agreement it would mean the end of the British training in Nanyuki as it will have no legal agreement or backing.
“We need to look into the future on the issue of the Defense Cooperation Agreement we need to have jurisdiction so that things don’t happen in our nation by foreigners and we have no legal and institutional framework to deal with them,” Wamalwa insisted.
Under the current agreement, the UK has provides annual training of over 1,100 Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers, with courses in the UK, or with UK military training teams in Kenya.
