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UK Defence Secretary meets Agnes Wanjiru's family
UK Defence Secretary John Healey (third right), British High Commissioner to Kenya Neil Wigan (right) with Agnes Wanjiru's relatives.
The UK Defence Secretary, John Healey, has met the family of the late Agnes Wanjiru, the woman allegedly murdered by British soldiers in Nanyuki town 13 years ago, as her relatives push for justice.
The meeting in Nairobi, the first by a British minister, offers the family a glimmer of hope that those who killed their loved ones may finally be prosecuted.
Agnes Wanjiru, who was found dead in 2012 after she went missing.
In an apparent show of commitment to seeing the matter resolved, Mr Healey, who is on a visit to Kenya, also promised to raise the matter with President William Ruto during their scheduled meeting.
“In my meeting with President Ruto later today [Monday], I will emphasise the need to accelerate progress in this case,” Mr Healey said in a press dispatch from the British High Commission in Nairobi.
“Our government will continue to do everything we can to help the family secure the justice they deserve.”
For more than a decade, justice has been elusive, with numerous unfulfilled promises made by representatives of both the UK and Kenyan governments. Details of investigations by detectives from both countries remain scarce.
Wanjiru, then 21, met her death after a night out with a group of merry-making British soldiers at the Lion's Court Hotel in Nanyuki on March 31, 2012.
Her body, which had stab wounds, was recovered weeks later from a septic tank where she was believed to have been dumped by her attackers.
Last year, the family applied to the High Court, asking a judge to order the British Army to release the names of the soldiers who stayed at the hotel on the fateful night, and for an apology from the British government for failing to investigate Wanjiru's death properly.
However, British government lawyers representing British Army Training in Kenya (Batuk) have claimed sovereign immunity to prevent the release of the information.
Sovereign immunity prevents a government and its officials from being sued without their consent.
During his meeting on Monday with six family members— including the late Wanjiru’s only daughter, now 13, Ms Rose Wanyua (Wanjiru’s elder sister), Ms Esther Njoki (Wanjiru's niece) and three others—the UK minister offered his condolences and noted that he was fulfilling a commitment he made soon after entering office.
“It was deeply humbling to meet the family of Agnes Wanjiru today. In the 13 years since her death, they have shown such strength in their long fight for justice. I reiterated my determination to see a resolution to the still unresolved case,” Mr Healey said after the meeting, which was also attended by British High Commissioner to Kenya, Mr Neil Wigan.
He added that the UK government would continue to offer its full support to Kenyan investigating agencies. In the past, this has included visits by Kenyan detectives to the UK to interview witnesses.
The family expressed optimism that Monday's meeting, which comes a week after the family marked the 13th anniversary of her disappearance and death, would lead to the conclusion of the delayed investigation.
“We have waited for too many years and been offered too many empty promises. We hope that our meeting with the Secretary of State marks the beginning of the UK government and Ministry of Defence taking decision action to make sure that what happened to Agnes [Wanjiru] never happens again,” said Ms Njoki, the family spokesperson.
