British High Commissioner Neil Wigan meets Agnes Wanjiru's family
British High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan has held a second meeting with the family of the late Agnes Wanjiru (inset).
British High Commissioner Neil Wigan has held a second meeting with the family of the late Agnes Wanjiru, a 21-year-old mother who lived near the British Army Unit in Kenya (BATUK) base in Nanyuki and was allegedly murdered by British soldiers in 2012.
In a press statement to newsrooms, Mr Wigan said the meeting with the family gave him an opportunity to follow up on discussions they had after their last meeting in May 2024.
“During the meeting, the High Commissioner reiterated the UK’s continued commitment to cooperate fully with the Kenyan-led investigations into the death of Ms Wanjiru,” the statement said.
London, the High Commissioner said, was working closely with Nairobi to expedite the progress of the case, adding that the UK’s Defence Serious Crime Command and Unit was proactively engaging with the Kenyan police to support their investigation where appropriate.
The late Wanjiru hit the headlines in 2012 when her body was found in a septic tank at a hotel in Nanyuki, Laikipia County, nearly three months after she had spent an evening with British soldiers.
To date, no one has been charged or prosecuted in relation to her death, although an inquest held in Kenya in 2018 found that Agnes had been murdered by British soldiers.
In September 2024, the UK's Ministry of Defence announced that the British army would investigate the conduct of its troops in Kenya amid claims of rape and murder.
The army said it would launch an inquiry into the conduct of British troops stationed at a military base in Nanyuki after multiple allegations of serious abuses by soldiers, including rape and murder.
The UK said the inquiry would examine the conduct of military personnel posted to BATUK at the time of Ms Wanjiru's death in 2012.
Agnes Wanjiru, who was found dead in 2012 after she went missing.
Last year, shortly after the announcement, a Ministry of Defence spokesman told a local media house in the UK that the Defence Secretary had discussed with the Chief of the General Staff the alarming allegations of unacceptable behaviour by service personnel deployed in Kenya.
“We take these allegations extremely seriously and the army will launch an inquiry into the conduct of those who have been deployed to Kenya,” the spokesperson said.
The UK's pledge comes several years after Wanjiru's family and their lawyers, Leigh Day, called on the Ministry of Defence to properly investigate her death.
Appearing before the National Assembly Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations in September last year, Esther Njoki, a niece of the deceased and a representative of the family, broke down, releasing 12 years of pent-up pain as she recounted to MPs the family's ordeal following the murder of Ms Wanjiru.
Ms Njoki told the MPs that they had been waiting for justice for 12 years. All she could show the committee was a copy of an inconclusive report by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and an unanswered petition to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
She also alleged that there was a cover-up of the matter and asked the committee to help the family expose the cover-up.
The distraught family also asked the committee to summon the DPP and the DCI to give an update on the case and why it had taken 12 years to resolve the matter.
Due to the family's frustration in getting justice in Kenya, Ms Njoki told MPs that they had considered filing a petition in the UK but were discouraged by their lawyers in London.
"Our lawyers told us that we can't go to the UK because we are so poor that we can't afford to board a plane to the UK. Can you imagine being told that you're poor and hence can't go to the UK to seek justice? I know this committee can help us find justice," she said.
Belgut MP, Nelson Koech, the chairperson of the Committee, told Ms Njoki and the family that the committee would ensure that they got justice.
"We feel your pain. This committee takes this matter seriously and we will do justice to it. You do not need to travel to the UK, we will give you justice here in Kenya," Mr Koech said.
At the time, the committee was conducting an inquiry into the conduct of BATUK following allegations of corruption, fraud, discrimination and abuse of power by the British soldiers.
The committee also said it was investigating allegations of ill-treatment, torture, unlawful detention, killings or other violations of internationally recognised human rights.
Lawmakers also said they were assessing BATUK's operational integrity, in particular security protocols, compliance with legal requirements and adherence to established military standards.