Kenyan Family Condemns Delay In Extradition Hearing Of Ex-British Soldier Accused Of Murdering Agnes Wanjiru | Sahara Reporters
The hearing for Robert James Purkiss, a former British soldier accused of killing the 21-year-old mother, was scheduled to take place next month but has now been postponed until May 2027.
The family of Agnes Wanjiru, a Kenyan woman allegedly murdered by a British soldier in 2012, has condemned the postponement of the accused’s extradition hearing until May 2027.
Relatives of Wanjiru, whose body was found in a septic tank near a British army training camp in Kenya, described the delay as “completely unacceptable” and accused authorities of failing to keep them informed.
The hearing for Robert James Purkiss, a former British soldier accused of killing the 21-year-old mother, was scheduled to take place next month but has now been postponed until May 2027.
Purkiss was arrested in the United Kingdom in November 2025 and is contesting extradition to Kenya to face trial for murder. He denies the allegation.
Wanjiru’s niece, Esther Njoki, told the BBC that the family learnt of the postponement through the UK embassy and had received no official explanation.
“We have exercised patience and endured uncertainty for years, but our patience is now being taken advantage of,” she said in a statement.
“Agnes deserves justice. Her daughter Stacy deserves answers about what happened. And as a family, we deserve to be treated with dignity and kept informed about proceedings that profoundly affect our lives.”
The family said it had raised money and made travel arrangements to attend the hearing in the UK, which was expected to take place in three weeks.
It called on the authorities to expedite the proceedings, warning that the latest postponement would extend the case into its 15th year without a trial.
The family said a UK court was expected to explain the reason for the delay next week.
Wanjiru disappeared in March 2012 after spending an evening at a hotel in Nanyuki, about 200 kilometres north of Nairobi, where British soldiers were stationed for training.
Her body was discovered nearly three months later in a septic tank at the hotel. She had sustained stab wounds to her chest and abdomen and left behind a five-month-old daughter.
A Kenyan inquest concluded in 2019 that she had been unlawfully killed by one or two British soldiers.
In September 2025, a Kenyan High Court issued an arrest warrant for a British national after prosecutors presented evidence they said justified bringing murder charges.
Purkiss’s lawyers have said he intends to challenge his extradition to Kenya.
The 38-year-old appeared via video link at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in February and was further remanded in custody.
Last year, the then British Defence Secretary, John Healey, met Wanjiru’s family during a visit to Kenya and pledged his government’s support for efforts to secure justice.
The UK government has previously said it remains committed to supporting the family but declined to comment on ongoing legal proceedings.