NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 24 – The Federation of Women Lawyers has urged Kenya and the United Kingdom to expedite the extradition of the British soldier implicated in the murder of Agnes Wanjiru in 2012.
In a statement, the organization indicated that the two governments should ensure that the suspect faces murder charges before a Kenyan court.
It pointed out that prosecution will send out a clear message that violence against women will not be tolerated and “impunity will no longer prevail.”
“It will also reaffirm Kenya’s commitment to the rule of law and the dignity of women while strengthening international cooperation in upholding justice.
The High Court earlier this month issued an arrest warrant for a British national suspected of murdering Wanjiru more than a decade ago.
She was killed in March 2012 and her body later found in a septic tank of a hotel in the central garrison town of Nanyuki nearly three months after she had allegedly spent an evening partying with British soldiers.
Justice Alexander Muteti said prosecutors had provided sufficient evidence to request that the suspect appear before a Kenyan court for trial.
The lawyer representing Ms Wanjiru’s family, Kamau Mbiu, told the BBC the ruling paved the way for proceedings to start for the suspect’s extradition from the UK.
