A British soldier (right) gives instructions during a joint training with KDF at Archer’s Post in Samburu County on October 7, 2020.
| Joseph Kanyi | Nation Media GroupNews
Premium
Agnes Wanjiru murder: MPs target military deal with Britain
Members of Parliament have threatened not to renew the military cooperation between Kenya and the United Kingdom under the British Army Training Unit Kenya (Batuk) until the case on the murder of Ms Agnes Wanjiru by a British solider is concluded.
The National Assembly Committee of Defence and Foreign Relations yesterday said the British soldier who murdered Ms Wanjiru, a 21-year-old mother of one, must be brought back to the country, tried and jailed for the offence he committed over nine years ago.
In a meeting with Defence Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa yesterday, the lawmakers said the matter has taken too long to resolve, despite a court in Laikipia finding that the matter was a clear case of murder.
The lawmakers insisted that before the renewal of the agreement, which is set to come to an end next year, they wanted to see action against the British soldier, so as to deliver justice to the family of Ms Wanjiru.
Mandera North MP Bashir Abdullahi said Kenya has jurisdiction over foreign troops training in the country and must come out clearly over the murder of Ms Wanjiru.
Concrete evidence
“Until we have concrete evidence that the Kenyan government is on this matter, that is when we shall append our signatures on this agreement,” Mr Abdullahi said.
“The agreement is good and beneficial to us, but we also want to assure Kenyans that we are also concerned about their security,” Mr Abdullahi added.
Yatta MP Charles Kilonzo said action should be taken against the British soldier accused of killing her.
“I can tell you for free that the House is going to be very hostile to the renewal of this agreement,” Mr Kilonzo told the CS.
“You are in a hurry telling us that we need to ratify this agreement, but you are not in a hurry to bring the culprit to book. We need to see action taken on somebody who committed (the) murder,” Mr Kilonzo said.
The murder Ms Wanjiru at a resort in Nanyuki has been thrust in the global limelight following revelations by a UK newspaper of an official cover-up of the crime reportedly committed by a British soldier.
Ms Wanjiru was last seen in the company of two British soldiers at the Lions Court hotel in Nanyuki in March 2012.
One soldier allegedly confessed to killing her to his colleagues, and showed them her body in a septic tank. One of his colleagues reported the crime to his superiors in the British Royal Military. However, their bosses put a lid on the matter and by the time the body was found two months ago, all the soldiers who were at the hotel on the day Wanjiru disappeared had left the country.
The Sunday Times in London last week reported that an investigation initiated by police in 2012 identified the soldiers for questioning and asked the British Royal Military Police to interview them and take DNA samples.
Mr Kilonzo accused the government of dragging its feet in dealing with matter, despite an alleged confession by a British solider on the murder of Ms Wanjiru.
“Why has it taken the government so long to deal with this matter? The soldier has already confessed that he killed Ms Wanjiru. Is the Kenyan government part of the cover-up? Mr Kilonzo asked.
Agnes Wanjiru, who was found dead in 2012 after she went missing.
However, Mr Wamalwa warned that failure to renew the agreement would leave the government exposed in dealing with security incidents in future.
“It is in our national interest to ratify the agreement so that we are not exposed in future if anything happens,” Mr Wamalwa said.
He assured the lawmakers that the government was deeply concerned about the death of Ms Wanjiru, saying it was cooperating with the UK government on the case.
“As a country, we owe justice to Agnes and the family -- nothing but justice. We have engaged the UK government and they have promised us full cooperation to ensure that justice is done,” Mr Wamalwa said.
The CS denied any cover-up of the murder.
“Indeed, justice has been delayed to Agnes, but should not be seen that it has been denied,” Mr Wamalwa said.
Cordial relationship
Saku MP Dido Raso, who chaired yesterday’s session, said Ms Wanjiru’s case had been re-ignited at the right time, when the agreement was about to be renewed.
“We need to know what assurance we have that such a thing will not happen again,” Mr Raso said.
Under Batuk, Kenyan soldiers get an opportunity to be trained by their UK counterparts in readiness to be deployed to volatile areas such as Somalia.
Should the lawmakers make good their threat, the move is likely to cause a diplomatic row between the two countries that have enjoyed a cordial relationship.
On Monday, Britain accused Kenyan police of sluggish investigations into the killing of Ms Wanjiru.
British soldiers have in the past been accused of atrocious crimes such as of rape, murder, assault and environmental crimes.
In 2013, Amnesty International and Impact said at least 650 women had been raped by British soldiers over 35 years (1965 to 2001) in Dol Dol and Archer’s Post and that there was a conspiracy of silence by UK and Kenyan authorities.
