NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept 18 – The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has announced the commencement of formal extradition proceedings against a British national suspected of murdering 21-year-old Agnes Wanjiru in 2012.
The arrest warrant, issued by Justice Alexander Muteti on Tuesday, has been forwarded to Interpol UK through official channels, the investigative agency confirmed.
“The Warrant was issued to the Interpol United Kingdom through the DCI Headquarters in Nairobi, pending commencement of the extradition process.”
“The National Police Service appreciates the invaluable support extended by the UK Government throughout the course of investigations and reaffirms our shared commitment to ensuring justice for Agnes Wanjiru is served,” read a statement issued by the DCI
In line with extradition protocol, the suspect will be taken into custody once Interpol UK acknowledges and enforces the warrant. This will pave the way for extradition hearings in British courts, after which the suspect may be transferred to Kenya to stand trial.
Wanjiru was killed in March 2012, and her body was discovered nearly three months later in a septic tank at a hotel in the central garrison town of Nanyuki. She had allegedly spent the evening partying with British soldiers prior to her disappearance.
Wanjiru, the single mother of a then four-month-old baby, ‘was beaten, stabbed and most likely still alive when she was thrown into the septic tank’, a Kenyan magistrate said in a 2019 inquest.
According to the BBC, Tessa Gregory — a UK-based legal representative for Wanjiru’s family — called on the British government “to do everything in its power to ensure that the accused can be extradited and face trial in Kenya as soon as possible.”
Justice Muteti ruled that the prosecution had presented sufficient grounds to request the suspect’s appearance before a Kenyan court to face charges.
The prosecution told the court that witnesses currently based in the UK would be made available for the trial, ensuring that it could proceed.
The UK’s Ministry of Defence has previously said it is co-operating with the Kenyan investigation into the case, which has caused outrage in Kenya.
