The family of a young Kenyan mother found dead in 2012 after last being seen alive with a British soldier urged the UK’s new government on Wednesday to open a “proper investigation” into her death.
The body of Agnes Wanjiru, 21, was found in a septic tank after she reportedly went out partying with British soldiers at a hotel in the central Kenyan town of Nanyuki, where the UK has a permanent army garrison.
The high-profile case has left the victim’s family in limbo. Kenyan investigations have struggled while the former UK government stonewalled media allegations that the army knew about the incident and did nothing.
On Wednesday, following the Labour Party victory over the Conservatives in Britain’s July 4 election, Wanjiru’s family said it was pressing for progress on the case.
“Our client has been waiting for justice for her sister for over 12 years and cannot continue to wait indefinitely,” said lawyer Carolin Ott who represents Wanjiru’s family.
Britain’s new Defence Secretary John Healey said in April, when he was still in opposition, that ministers were “sitting on their hands” over the case.
“The details of this young Kenyan woman’s death remain shocking to this day,” he told British newspaper The Sunday Times.
“But 12 years on, there’s still no MoD-led investigation into the grave failings exposed in this case,” he said, referring to Britain’s Ministry of Defence.
At the time, a Labour spokesman told the newspaper the party would “of course” begin an inquiry if it took power.
‘Words into actions’
In a statement from legal firm Leigh Day, Ott said: “It is now time for Mr Healey to make good on his commitments to expose the grave failings in this case and put his strong words into actions.”
The statement said the family had “not had any meaningful update on the investigation”.
It urged a “proper investigation to ensure that any potential cover up is investigated and what happened to Agnes is never repeated… is commenced by the new Labour government as soon as possible.”
In October 2021, The Sunday Times reported that a soldier had confessed to his comrades to killing Wanjiru and showed them her body.
The report alleged that the murder was taken to military superiors, but no further action followed.
A Kenyan investigation was opened in 2019 but no results have been disclosed, and public hearings due in July were postponed after anti-government protests in the capital.
London and Nairobi have been at odds over the question of jurisdiction for British soldiers who break the law in Kenya. The UK has said it does not accept the jurisdiction of the Kenyan court investigation Wanjiru’s death.
Since Kenya gained independence in 1963, Britain has kept a permanent army base near Nanyuki around 200 kilometres (125 miles) north of the capital Nairobi.
The British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) is an economic lifeline for many in Nanyuki but has proved a lightning rod for criticism.
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