Kenyan courts conducted the preliminary hearing on Wednesday regarding the 2012 murder of Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old Kenyan woman, allegedly killed by a British soldier. However, the case was adjourned until May, much to the prosecution’s dismay.
The victim’s body was discovered in a septic tank at a British army training camp in Nanyuki, central Kenya, where the British military maintains a presence.
After the 2019 investigation in Kenya, there was no public disclosure of the inquiry’s outcomes. However, in October 2021, reports from the British Sunday Times, supported by testimonies from military personnel, alleged that the soldier seen with Wanjiru on the day of her death had confessed to killing her to fellow soldiers and had shown them the body. Despite this revelation, the military hierarchy reportedly did not pursue the matter.
Following the exposé, Kenyan authorities announced the reopening of the investigation. The initial court hearing on Wednesday in Nairobi swiftly adjourned the case until May 21, disappointing Agnes Wanjiru’s niece, Esther Njiko, who criticized the authorities, accusing them of concealing the truth.
The British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) stationed on the outskirts of Nanyuki, 150 kilometers north of Nairobi, has sparked local economic growth but also stirred controversies. A document from British Colonel Andrew Wilde highlighted BATUK’s affiliation with the British government’s Ministry of Defence and indicated that the British government did not consent to submit to the jurisdiction of the Kenyan tribunal.
Jurisdiction over British soldiers involved in Kenyan legal matters has been a recurring point of contentio壯陽藥 n between London and Nairobi, leading to tensions arising from similar incidents in the past.